As I was looking for topics for today’s blog, I found numerous articles discussing ebooks and what’s ahead in 2010. The short answer? A lot more money for Amazon. 🙂 The long answer? A tremendous jump in sales for both ebooks and ereaders, as ereaders become more available and more affordable.
In fact, a new In-State forecast claims that ebook sales will jump to nearly $9 billion in 2013. Considering where ebook sales were as recently as 2008 or even 2009, that’s a tremendous jump. According to AAP, “Year-to-date sales in aggregate for the period of January-October 2009, reached $130.7 million, compared to $46.6 million in 2008 for the same period last year, reflecting a 180.7% increase.”
Amazon reported that “…on Christmas Day, for the first time ever, customers purchased more Kindle books than physical books.” And the Kindle? According to Amazon, now their most gifted item ever.
So what will tip the scales?
Will it be the plethora of options? At the CES (Consumer Electronics Show) Convention held in Las Vegas this year (and every year), the section devoted to ereaders and ebooks was the most crowded (according to The Money Times.) A number of companies unveiled their ereaders to try and get in on the growing market, including Plastic Logic, Spring Design, AudioVox, Hearst, Sprint, Samsung and more.
Will it be price? The lowest price for an ereader is $199. Compared to the ease of buying a book at Walmart for a couple of dollars, spending such a big amount of money on something you don’t need is tough to swallow…especially in today’s market. Some of the ereaders being launched cost more than the Kindle (and probably do more, but I didn’t research that. 🙂 But ultimately, technology will price itself at what the market will pay. As happens with all other sorts of technology, the prices will come down.
Or will the final ounce that tips the scales in favor of ereaders be seeing more and more people with ereaders in the mainstream world? Usually, new technology is first adopted by the tech savvy, those who travel frequently, with higher incomes. Or in the case of the Kindle, maybe just a total geekie book lover (*cough*me*cough*). But NOW? The horizon is looking a little different. Fictionwise states that their average customer is a woman between 40 and 50 years old. Stephen Pendergrast of Fictionwise suggests that “is evidence that e-book sales have shifted away from the early-adopter stage,” he said. “As the technology improves, e-books will be more and more accepted on the mass consumer level.”
I know when I go out and about with my ereader (and that’s pretty much everywhere), I get looks constantly and once in a while, a brave question asking me what it is. In the “normal” world, it’s not an everyday item even if someone has heard of it.
But I do think 2010 will mean great things for the advancement of ereaders and ebooks. What about you? I’ve chatted plenty about my Kindle love, but I got mine as a gift. So for you, what would be the tipping point to buying one? Price? Availability? The “everyone’s got one” phenomenon?
3 comments
HI Jeannie!!
Very interesting facts! I don’t have an e-reader and don’t see myself getting one in the future. Ha! Already got my technology gift for the year. 🙂 But I do have an ancient Palmer Zire palm pilot and someone told me I can use that to read PDF books. I’m very excited about that. Now, I just have to figure out how! LOL
That’s too funny that people have no idea what an ereader is. Do you remember when no one knew what a CD player was? Ha! Back in the day, I thought CD players were a thing of the future. (yeah, more proof of my country-bumpkin-ness lol)
The facts you state are encouraging. I know I’m glad I made the decision to publish in e-book. I do have a publisher that brings it out in print a few months after the e-book release and for me thats a must as friends and family don’t read e’s.
Getting an e-reader is tempting for me but I’m putting it off because
1. I give the books to my daughter and love sharing reads. I don’t keep print books around but might keep an e-book that I know I’ll want to re-read.
2. My computer setup is very comfortable to read e-books from I usually have an e-book and a print book going. Not right now as we aren’t at home but I’ll be ready for an e-book by the time get home in Feb.
Good subject this morning.
I got a Kindle for Christmas, though it was delivered early. While I love reading on the Kindle, I haven’t downloaded many books to it. The reason? I have so many paper books on the the TBR pile. I do find it irritating that publishers don’t offer paper and e-versions at the same time. I will always buy the J.D. Robb books in paper because I have them all. The first book I ordered on the Kindle was the latest In Death, even though I had it in hardback. I hadn’t gotten around to reading it it yet and I wanted to try out the Kindle. The next one comes out in February but I can’t get the Kindle version until late summer. I cancelled the Kindle preorder. I’ll read the hardback. Publishers really need to get an idea of their readers’ habits.