Is It a Culture Not to Buy Paperbacks Anymore?

First of all, this is by no means, me complaining about a small turnout for my second book signing; it just made me reflect on something.

I personally am an avid lover of books. I'm not kidding you. I could read up to 500 pages a day and not get bored with it, and even with rigorous classwork, I would find the time for it. However, since 3rd grade, my mom has created a new family rule: no buying books. Why? We would go bankrupt if we have to provide for me and my two sisters (both readers as well), our insatiable reading desire. So, instead, Mom pointed us in the direction of schools and/or local libraries. Now, I still read like a fanatic, but I have less than one hundred books in my house, and most of them are my mom's theology textbooks.

Apparently, though, this is not just me. When I first announced my second book signing, I cornered all of my friends, indirectly coercing them to buy a book from me (that was very selfish of me), but I soon realized that their reason for turning down my offer was a doctrine that I've followed my entire life. In fact, libraries are so accessible everywhere in the United States that I'm forced to ask: do bookstores and just selling paperbacks to customers still have a future?

If the answer is negative, how should authors make a living?

Please let me know below in the comments what you think.