Book sales are fading. But some stories still fly.
Fewer people read books today — digital distractions, shrinking leisure time, and endless competition from podcasts, streaming, and social media have seen to that. Screen time has nearly doubled since 2015 (3.5 hrs → 6+ hrs daily), and in the U.S., only 16% of people now read daily.
I’ve felt this shift firsthand.
2013 — my first book, Life in the Skies, sold ~18,000 copies.
2015 — my second book, SKY TALES sold ~8,000 copies.
Today — my third book, A Pilot’s Story, launched 2 months ago… to a much quieter response.
The difference? My first two books had sponsorship and strong marketing from AirAsia. This one, I self-published as a retiree — no sponsor, no big marketing push, just the story itself.
But here’s a moment that made it all worth it:
Yesterday, on 21st August 2026, I had the honor of personally presenting an autographed copy of A Pilot’s Story to Ms Lim Lee Ngoh, Executive Director of Popular Book Store — a woman who started as an accountant in 1986 and rose over four decades to help build Popular into one of Malaysia’s most iconic bookstore chains.
Thank you, Ms Lim, for believing in this book before it even reached the shelf.
And now — you’ll soon find A Pilot’s Story at major Popular outlets across Malaysia!
Reading may be declining, but some stories are just meant to take flight.
🔗 More info: https://www.askcaptainlim.com/pilots-story