Loss of Book Study = Less Book Sales

by Nosferatu 8 Replies latest jw friends

• 

  Nosferatu

  Since they've dumbed down the bookstudy, making the whole thing shorter, they won't be re-hashing books as many times as they used to. Instead of getting everyone to replace their falling-apart Revelation books, they simply won't be re-hashing. Since the pace of studying the actual book is now slower, it will allow the WTS to maintain their once every year (or two) pace of releasing new books.

  I dunno, it seems like a big loss for the WTS to eliminate the book study group. Less sales, less control, more freedom for JWs.
• 

  yknot

  Frankly I don't see the need to keep printing study books for the congregations....... when they could simple add a outline discourse to be sermonized for a fraction of the time.

  Or they could start printing little brochure booklets again on topics of morality to be covered at the KH, but also utilizing the ability to flip/flop POV easily.

  During the CBS/SM/TMS last week the speaker made mention of doing more campaigns via handbills and brochures.....placing the WTs like books instead.
• 

  slimboyfat

  Literature doesn't make the Society money any more I don't think, ever since "the donation arrangement" started.

  When I stopped believing in the Witnesses, stopping putting money in the box for literature was the first thing I did. But I still take the literature since it's "life's water free" after all.

  The Watchtower Socitey looks like it is scaling down operations big time, so fewer books published would conform to that pattern.

  We already had the Awake! reduced to once a month.

  Paperback books (even Bibles) instead of hardbacks.

  Smaller calendars.

  No food at conventions.

  Watchtower "study" editions.

  No hardcover bound volumes even.

  Book Study meeting abandoned.

  What will we have next?

  Yearbooks abandoned.

  Paid COs abandoned.

  Fewer books released.

  No longer turning in time on time sheets.

  Less emphasis on the ministry generally.

  No more disfellowshipping.

  Shorter conventions (drop the unpopular Fridays)

  More emphasis on downloads, fewer DVDs and cassettes produced.

  Bethels across the world scaled down because less literature is being produced.

  I think this religion is beginning to close down its business.
• 

  Homerovah the Almighty

  Its probably because they are afraid of putting the same trifle bullshit into the hands of the flock now just to keep

  themselves looking viable You can only use the same bullshit so many times

  Its not easy for these cults to live in the age of information
• 

  OUTLAW

  SBF..

  Yearbooks abandoned..........I doubt it,it`s still a best seller..LOL!!

  Paid COs abandoned............Thats already in the works

  Fewer books released..........Possible

  No longer turning in time on time sheets...........Never going to happen..It`s always used as part of the world wide preaching advertisement

  Less emphasis on the ministry generally..........Nope..They may very well drop time required to call yourself a publisher..It`s already been done

  No more disfellowshipping.........Thats never going to happen..They have to keep the mass`s in line

  ..

  Shorter conventions (drop the unpopular Fridays).....I remember 8 day conventions..Dropping one more day is possible

  More emphasis on downloads, fewer DVDs and cassettes produced......The WBT$ is still going after people who record talks

  Bethels across the world scaled down because less literature is being produced......Thats already happening

  ...............................

  ...OUTLAW
• 

  Homerovah the Almighty

  Most likely they still think they optionally have enough control to keep the money flowing in, with the new arrangement

  of Kingdom Hall property and real-estate titles being handed over to the organization in real terms they are comfortably rich.
• 

  TooBad TooSad

  I hope that they will shorten the WTS like the public talk. It would be great if I could

  get in and out in 1 hour on Sunday morning.

  TooBad TooSad
• 

  WTWizard

  They still make too much. Every penny goes toward protecting pedophiles, and whatever is left goes to buy out the governments so they can start the Second Dark Ages.

  Hopefully, more people will quit donating to the Worldwide Pedophile Defense Fund, and that those wastes of paper drives are going to cost them money without bringing even a penny.
• 

  jws

  I was under the impression that the same amount of material would be covered, just in a faster format. Like fewer people called on, or reading more paragraphs, then asking a question. If that's the case, it's true that you probably wouldn't wear out the book as much because you're not using it for as much total time.

  Maybe I'm wrong about how much they'll cover.

  I was also under the impression that the congregation has an unspoken debt for the literature. I'm sure you could find several posts about it here. But my understanding was that if the Society isn't getting a big enough "donation" back for the literature, the congregations will be cut off from future shipments.

  So they are getting money for book sales. Even if one person doesn't contribute their fair share, somebody else at your hall will have to make up for it.

  As it is, they have volunteer labor and their own printing presses. It's gotta be a matter of pennies to print a watchtower, but when they were still charging, they were a quarter. With computers, a lot of the costs involved with print media have been cut. Yet most people probably still remember that 25 cents figure and maybe figure with inflation, they should contribute 50 cents or a dollar per magazine now.

  Let's say you buy 10 magazines a week and donate $5/week. If they only spent 50 cents or a dollar to print/ship those 10 magazines, they made quite a bit of a profit. Multiply that by 7,000,000 JWs.

  If they weren't interested in making money, they'd publish their books and magazines on the internet so they could be downloaded for free. People could read the articles online and print only what they need for the book or watchtower studies.

  I can understand why they moved from hardcover to paperback. It's less production costs and the books wear out faster requiring replacement. Maybe they figured you'd donate just as much. Maybe even more for the "feature" of being lighter.

  But I don't know why they've cut back to things like a once-a-month Awake. Maybe because they're focusing on doctrine vs. "feel good" articles.