This is how fast things are changing in publishing.
My book Publishing and Marketing Realities of the Emerging Author has only been at the editor’s a week, and already it needs to be updated. Even between drafts, I would have to update information and figures.
Last July, Jeff Bezos announced that eBooks sales had outsold hardbacks, and he predicted that they would outsell paperbacks in the next 9 to 12 months.
Well, guess what? Exactly nine months later, they have.
The publishing tide is shifting fast: E-book sales in February topped all other formats, including paperbacks and hardcovers, according to an industry report released this week.
E-book sales totaled $90.3 million in February, up 202% compared to the same month a year earlier, according to a study from the Association of American Publishers. That put e-books at No. 1 “among all categories of trade publishing” that month — the first time e-books have beaten out traditional publishing formats.
Read the entire article here: E-book sales top paperbacks first time
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What do you think about these figures?
Do you think this trend will continue, or is it just a fad?
Honestly, this does not surprise me at all. Now, if I can just get a tiny little piece of that action! 😉
INORITE?! Me, too.
I think it will continue – every kind of mobile phone has a reading app for it. Millions of those around the world. People LOVE their ebook readers. Not like – LOVE.
I love reading War and Peace on something that doesn’t weigh what the book does and has a print enlarger for when I’m tired.
I think the ebook revolution is here to stay, ebook readers are proliferating and improving in design and I’m sure colour e-ink is not far away too.
And YES – a small piece of this action for all indie authors – that would be great!
The future is now 🙂
Whatever happens, I’ll still print off at least ONE of each of my books from Lulu for my own bookcase…
Consider doing that through CreateSpace. It’s generally cheaper, the quality is better, and then they’re available on Amazon, too.
Reading is addictive. I’ve always been a reader but I’m definitely reading more now, purchasing more now, and many of them are self published books. I think the trend will only continue!
Excellent!
I think eBooks are the modern paperback and their sales will only continue. I think it will be interesting to see how the technology behind them evolves and changes, especially with the ability to update eBooks and get newer updated versions. I’ve read a lot of rumors lately that Amazon is going to try to start selling used eBooks. I honestly thought that was an Onion article at first, but it seems they have the patent and it is something they might pursue. I wonder how that will change the publishing landscape in the future.
I’m fascinated by how things have changed in theist few years. It’s an exciting time!