The Growing E-Book Market
July 19, 2010 by Lillie
I entered the e-book market when my first novel, Stroke of Luck, was published as an e-book in 1999. I got my first e-book reader shortly after that. Back then, few people had even heard of e-books. We demonstrated e-book readers at booksignings and spent as much time educating readers about e-books as promoting our individual books.
How times have changed! In a press release from Amazon.com, Jeff Bezos said,
Even while our hardcover sales continue to grow, the Kindle format has now overtaken the hardcover format. Amazon.com customers now purchase more Kindle books than hardcover books–astonishing when you consider that we’ve been selling hardcover books for 15 years, and Kindle books for 33 months.
Recently, I’ve come across several indications of the growth of the e-book market.
- Amazon.com press release, July 19, 2010—in the past month, Amazon has sold 180 Kindle titles for every 100 hardcover books (excluding free Kindle editions), and the Kindle is the best-selling item on Amazon for the second year in a row.
- Article at Zeta, July 2, 2010—As prices of e-book readers continue to fall, e-book sales are expected to overtake print book sales soon.
- Several articles in Publishing Poynters newsletter, July 15, 2010—Barnes & Noble sees strong growth, all from e-book sales; Borders and Books-a-Million are both opening e-bookstores; and James Patterson has sold more than 1.4 e-books.
- Smashwords has published its 15,000th e-book title—The blog post also mentions an author who has earned over $4,000 in a month from his Smashwords sales at Barnes & Noble.
When I used to read from my e-book reader in public, I always had people asking what it was. Now when I read from my Kindle in public, people either say they have one or they want one.
And don’t forget the Smashwords’ Summer/Winter Sale throughout the month of July. You’ll find a list of my e-books that are on sale in an earlier post.
And, of course, if you want to join the e-reading movement, you can buy a Kindle at Amazon or a variety of other e-readers from several different vendors.
I’ve read that recently Amazon has decreased the price of Kindle, and this for sure will encourage sales. But still, I consider e-readers to be expensive. In my opinion another couple of years need to pass by until the e-reader will become widely spread and known.
Mia,
Yes, Amazon has reduced the price of the Kindle dramatically, and some of the newer e-book readers cost even less. This is something those of us active in the e-publishing industry for many years have been waiting for.
Download a free Kindle Reader for your PC from Amazon at http://amzn.to/9yD5Hl
Thanks, Philippa. I never think to mention that because I much prefer to read on the separate Kindle device rather than sitting at the computer. However, if someone doesn’t want to spend the money for a Kindle, it is a viable option.
Call me biased but I still love the smell of books…although there is no denying the reality that ebooks are becoming a market of its own.
Having a book in our own hands is better than having an electronic device. Not only the smell is making a difference but the feel of paper is giving much more satisfaction. However, I do enjoy reading e-book in PDF format on my laptop. Recently I have tried an audio book but somehow, it gives me a very strange feeling. I have yet to finish it. Definitely not getting used to audio books but ebooks are OK for me – only not on e-reader.
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Sarah,
It’s amazing how different we are. I find it very uncomfortable to read print books. Holding a book is awkward–especially since I like to read when I’m eating and like to hold the book in one hand. Books are heavier than my Kindle and the print is too small to be comfortable for me. And I don’t like to read on computer; a handheld reader is much better for me.
What e-book readers have you tried to arrive at your conclusions? I’ve found that most people who say they don’t like reading on e-readers have never tried one. Many times people are pleasantly surprised. One of my clients just got a Kindle, and she says she can’t believe how much she loves it after years of insisting she would never give up paper books.
Ron,
Maybe there’s something wrong with my nose, but I’ve never considered smell part of the reading experience.
There are so many advantages of reading electronically that smell would certainly not be anything I care about.
I hear ya. There’s just an added connection to paper and for hardcovers, hard cardboard. Then again in a few generations they’ll wonder what the big deal was.
Robert,
I don’t feel that connection to paper or cardboard–in books or anything else. I have as close to a paperless office as you can imagine.
I have to agree with you, CFD. I find it easier to get into a book if I’m holding it in my hands rather than having to stare at another screen. But I really love the idea of the convenience of these new ebooks.
Danielle,
I think many people who are biased toward print books would be more open to reading e-books if they tried on a hand-held device rather than their computer screen.
Great information–loaded with things we all need to be aware of. Thanks for posting.
Glad you found it helpful, Sylvia.
There still is something nostalgic about having an actual book in your hands while you are reading, but the possibilities of what an eBook reader can provide are endless. We are just at the tip of the iceburg in terms of what eBooks can and will do.
My guess is that as time goes on, more authors and publishers are going to start selling eBooks made specifically for an eBook reader. These eBooks will include enhancements like video and sidebar explanations that can give more context to the story, if the reader chooses to explore that route.
Many people will probably say that will be the decline of “reading” as we know it because less will be left to the imagination, but I honestly feel that it will open up reading to a whole new group of folks who might otherwise just sit and watch TV.
Only time will tell how this all plays out, but I think the statistics you posted from Amazon are pretty clear in showing that there is a huge, growing demand for eBooks.
Jeremiah,
I have no nostalgia about print books.
The only reason I buy print books is to add to my collection of autographed books. Even then, if I actually read the book, I will get an electronic version. I have a few autographed books that I would like to read … but not enough to read print. 
Lillie,
I guess it was always going to happen. Being smaller and lighter than ordinary books, and allowing readers to store more than one book off the same device, the kindle makes reading more convenient (especially whilst travelling) and was always destined to become a common way of reading.
You are to be congratulated on having been one of those brave early adapters.
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Andrew,
I was an early adapter primarily because a friend let me know of a publisher looking for novels with disabled main characters. Print publishers had turned me down again and again, as I’ve written about in other posts. I was so excited that someone wanted the book that I jumped right in before I really knew anything about electronic publishing. But as I learned about the industry, I fell in love with it.
Your post has given me one more reason to consider buying an e-book reader. I didn’t realize that they were available in the late ’90s. Wow.
Thanks for the informative post, Lillie. We can always count on you to stay on top of publishing trends!
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Deb S,
The original e-book reader, the Rocket eBook, came out shortly before my novel, so it was the late 90s. That was an excellent reader, but the original inventor sold out to Sony, and they ended up producing readers that weren’t as good as the original. I prefer the Kindle now because I love being able to order a book and have it wirelessly delivered to the Kindle immediately. With the earlier readers, you had to download the book to your computer (or even copy it from a floppy disk in the early days!) then transfer to the reader. I still have an eBookWise reader, which is similar to the Sony reader, which is backlit. I loved being able to read in the dark, but it was harder to read in bright light and the text can’t be set as large as the Kindle. Now that I’ve had cataract surgery, I can read the eBookWise again when I want to read in the dark.
Wow, thats amazing that ebook sales are doing so well against the traditional hard cover books…It looks like a bright future for ebooks, I really dont expect to see many hard covered books being read on the train 10 years from now…
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Sam,
I can’t imagine anyone preferring to carry a heavy, awkward hardcover book when they could carry a lightweight Kindle. And that Kindle can hold dozens of books, and if they’re in the mood for something other than the dozens of books they already have, they can download a new book in less than a minute for the fraction of the price of a hardcover book.
With the kindle dropping in price and the selection of ebooks going through the roof, I wonder if the paper based book business is soon going the way of the carriage and the dodo.
Sheila,
I think paper will continue as a much smaller segment of the market. When paperbacks came out, people said the hardcover would disappear. It’s still here, but a much smaller segment of the market. We now have a choice, and some readers will always prefer the old-fashioned ways of reading, even if I can’t understand why.
Actually, I like to collect autographed print books, but I prefer to read elecronic books.
I’m in the process of writing a computer science textbook and I’m planning to sell it as an ebook; in fact, due to Amazon’s change in terms for selling Kindle books, I’m planning to offer it for $9.99. We’ll see how it works out!
Good luck, William. I hope your Kindle book does well.
I’m certain you are absolutely right and I’m certain that in 5 or 10 years there will be no hardcovers at all. Paperbacks will survive a bit longer but Kindle and iPad etc are just the beginning.
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Mini,
I read something the other day about a book that was printed in limited edition hardcover for thousands of dollars each. It had valuable mementos embedded in the book. That type of thing may be what hardcovers are in the future: expensive collector’s items.
I’m an avid ebook fan and even for me there are sometimes I want to have the old-fashion paper version. When reading a novel on a beach vacation, for example. But there are many circumstances (like on the subway) and types of books (like travel and reference guides) that work better on a Kindle. Some bemoan the Kindle as being the end of reading but I find that I read a lot more with it.
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Spot,
I just read your comparison of the Kindle 2 and the Graphite Kindle DX. Of course, I still have the original Kindle. I was wondering if I should get a DX–I love the larger screen and better contrast and ability to read PDF. But when you mention that it can get tiring to hold, I decided I’ll stick with the smaller unit for the sake of my arthritic hands. So your post was very helpful to me.
Although I am usually the first among my friends to buy the newest technology, I haven’t been won over with eBooks just yet. I should really change over now and save some money since in the next 5-10 years the printed book, aside from popular titles, will be very hard to get hold of and that will be a shame.
Steve,
When Gutenberg came out with the printing press, I’m sure there were people bemoaning how sad it was that parchment scrolls were disappearing.
I’ve been trying to find a good type of e-Reader to get into the e-Book loop. I digress that there’s nothing quite like having a real book in your hands though.
Pietas,
I’m not sure what you’re saying. Do you mean you disagree that there isn’t anything like a paper book? Or do you mean something else?
ebook are the future
the market will experience a great growth with tablets
Ian,
We’re already seeing this, and as more readers become available at lower prices, the market will continue to explode.
Hi Lillie – Isn’t it awesome. A few years ago, many of us just wouldn’t have expected ebooks to sell more than hardbacks on Amazon.
I was reading yesterday that you can also sell your own self published paperbacks on Amazon. I love that there are more options for writers to publish their work.
Cath,
I’ve just set up a client’s book on CreateSpace at Amazon.com. Most of my clients do short print runs, but this is strictly a personal memoir that the client wrote at the request of his family. Although he won’t mind selling to anyone else, he doesn’t expect anyone else to be interested. But he can make the book available on Amazon.com for family and friends to order, and he doesn’t have to deal with order fulfillment or maintaining an inventory. The process was quite simple—the proof copy is on the way now, and if it’s okay, the book will be available for sale.
A very brief and well put together article for those not so savvy with web developer. Good read. Even for an experienced web developer like myself.
Thanks, Larry. I don’t think there’s much technical information here, more a view of the industry, but I’m glad you enjoyed it.
Basically, consumers rent an online copy, say, for a week. Amazon.com, too, is looking at another possibility. Its Amazon Pages will offer for sale a page, a section or a chapter of book to be read online. In another revolutionary approach, Amazon is looking at the possibility of enabling buyers of traditional books to get access to an online copy.
Scott,
I’m not sure what you’re referring you in renting an online copy for a week. Sounds like an interesting concept. I like Amazon’s new ideas.
I love this post. So true. Amazon kindle was a bit expensive when it first came out in the market but Amazon has started pulling the price down. So far the Amazon Kindle 3 has become one of Amazon’s best sellers. Besides eBook readers are a lot advantage especially to people who travels a lot. No need for that bulky feel of a book inside your purse.
Crissy,
I’ve written several other posts on this topic since this one. I am a big fan of my Kindle and don’t read print at all.
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