I'll try!

1. Books are still the best medium to tell certain stories, articulate certain arguments, and explore certain ideas.

2. Books, even the ones that aren't huge bestsellers, can focus media attention and drive sustained conversation in a way that other media usually don't.

3. Writing a serious book gives the author a depth of knowledge and expertise on a subject that can pay professional dividends, yes, but that is also just generally enriching.

4. Relatedly—and this is subjective, so your mileage may vary—I've found the process of writing a book to be creatively and intellectually rewarding in a way that's hard to beat. (Longform magazine, a kind of cousin to book-writing, comes close, but that's another medium that's under siege.)

5. The nonfiction market may be temporarily depressed, but it's hardly in a free fall—lots of people are still reading! (See the chart below) t.co/oJIN1bhm6T

6. All that said, the financial barrier is real, and figuring out how to make it work involves a combination of luck, sacrifice, and risk that not every writer can (or reasonably should) attempt. Tons of talented writers make the rational decision to abandon the medium, which is too bad because it means tons of good books don't get written. I don't begrudge anyone who makes that decision. But serious nonfiction is good! Reading books is good! Writing books is good!

(If you can't tell, I'm on book leave right now and, um... procrastinating.)