Publishing factoids

If you string some disparate publishing data together into a storyline, you can really depress yourself. These bits were collected on Dan Poynter's site:

* 58% of the US adult population never reads another book after high school.
* 42% of college graduates never read another book.
* 70% of US adults have not been in a bookstore in the last five years.
* Only 32% of the U.S. population has ever been in a bookstore.
* Most readers do not get past page 18 in a book they have purchased.
* 2002: 37% of the books sent to stores were returned.