# E-book sales increasing at "double-digit" rate



## KBoards Admin (Nov 27, 2007)

This AP story doesn't say much new, but it does indicate that electronic book sales have seen "double-digit increases" since Kindle was released. Even Sony Reader downloads have increased, probably as a result of the elevated exposure that Kindle is giving the whole e-book market.



> More than four months after Amazon.com released the Kindle, no one is sure whether the wireless portable reading device is hot. But publishers think it has helped the tiny electronic market.
> 
> Amazon.com has declined to give sales figures -- at least 2,000, judging from the number of customer reviews -- but has said that supply isn't keeping up with demand.
> 
> ...


LINK


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## mrockzzz (Jun 29, 2011)

Forgive me if the question is applicable, but have you seen your ebook sells continue to soar since this original post ie have you seen double digit percentage increases?


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## Ann in Arlington (Oct 27, 2008)

The original post. . .from nearly 2 and a half years ago. . .was about general statistics of e-books over all as compared to sales of paper books.  Not about any particular person's sales success.

There's lots of discussion of that in the Writer's Cafe, however. . . .


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## NapCat (retired) (Jan 17, 2011)

I truly believe we are witnessing a phenomena that is altering the way humans take in, organize and process reading material.  How exciting to be a part of this !!


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## Me and My Kindle (Oct 20, 2010)

It's gotten so much easier to buy a Kindle in the last three years.  You can buy one at Target, Best Buy, or Staples.  There's one model that costs just $114. Amazon's about to release a new model that's even cheaper.

So yeah, I'm not surprised that e-book sales are increasing...


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## Elk (Oct 4, 2010)

NapCat said:


> I truly believe we are witnessing a phenomena that is altering the way humans take in, organize and process reading material.


Somehow I don't think this started with e-readers.


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## Casper Parks (May 1, 2011)

One of the network news dot coms had a poll going. Where do you buy your books. Internet and Bookstores were running neck and neck.


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## Brem (Jun 29, 2011)

I bet we'll see e-readers get as low as $50 in the future. With the rise of the digital age, everything will be digital. Movies will continue to be sold in digital format, same goes for music and books. We like things at the touch of a button.


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## Elk (Oct 4, 2010)

Brem said:


> We like things at the touch of a button.


And, sadly, will sacrifice a great deal of quality to get it.


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## Joseph_Evans (Jul 24, 2011)

This is amazing statistics for authors, but not so great for publishers and booksellers. As an author, I've been trying to get my novel published for over a year, and no one will take a chance on it. Without eBook technology, my novel would never have been read by anyone apart from friends and family and the agents and publishers who rejected it. Now the publishers don't get to dictate. If somebody wishes to read my book, they can. That's the most important thing to me.


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## Rodney Walther (Dec 9, 2010)

Ebook sales have been strong this year, but just wait until Christmas. I think it will be another step-change from last year, when ebook readers (esp. Kindle) were the huge Christmas gift item.


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## mooshie78 (Jul 15, 2010)

Elk said:


> Somehow I don't think this started with e-readers.


Yep, it's just a continuing trend that started with the rise of computers and the internet.

Websites have long been causing newspaper and magazine subscriptions to dwindle, and now with e-readers, e-books will start continuing to eat into print book sales.


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## JRTomlin (Jan 18, 2011)

Rodney Walther said:


> Ebook sales have been strong this year, but just wait until Christmas. I think it will be another step-change from last year, when ebook readers (esp. Kindle) were the huge Christmas gift item.


I have a feeling that Christmas is going to blow sales right out of the water.


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## chris41336 (Jul 25, 2011)

This isn't all that surprising when you consider how much advertising has gone into the Kindle. They have the "Mac v. PC" type ads running now on TV, the Kindle is ALWAYS on the homescreen for Amazon...and if you think about it, once you buy a Kindle, you don't really buy paper books anymore (although my girlfriend is bucking that trend for some reason after she got the Kindle I bought her!). 

E-books are (generally) also cheaper than paperback books and its so, so much easier to buy an e-book from the comfort of your home. I agree with the people above me who said they are excited to be a part of the changing book market. If nothing else comes from this, I am hoping that the traditional publishers take the hint that great books are not "few and far in between", but written every day.

Then again, I am biased since I am a self-published author with only an e-Book, so I have a vested interest in this whole thing. But I am also a technophile, and I can tell where trends are going. e-Books are becoming the MP3s of the book world. Let's just hope that the rampant piracy doesn't come along with it.


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## Lursa (aka 9MMare) (Jun 23, 2011)

NapCat said:


> I truly believe we are witnessing a phenomena that is altering the way humans take in, organize and process reading material. How exciting to be a part of this !!


In general, I would consider that...the Internet.

Reading on an e-reader, IMO, isnt much different than reading a real book. I think that's why I prefer it.


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## Casper Parks (May 1, 2011)

Wasn't it something like a 51 percent jump in sales for the past quarter?


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## unitbit (Jul 22, 2011)

Casper Parks said:


> One of the network news dot coms had a poll going. Where do you buy your books. Internet and Bookstores were running neck and neck.


That is really interesting but I think not surprising either. I am very curious though how long it will take for the Internet to completely overshadow brick and mortar places.... I definitely believe the clock is ticking, loudly.


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## hakimast (Jul 23, 2011)

It's great for the authors!


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## Tara Maya (Nov 4, 2010)

chris41336 said:


> This isn't all that surprising when you consider how much advertising has gone into the Kindle. They have the "Mac v. PC" type ads running now on TV, the Kindle is ALWAYS on the homescreen for Amazon...and if you think about it, once you buy a Kindle, you don't really buy paper books anymore (although my girlfriend is bucking that trend for some reason after she got the Kindle I bought her!).


What does she read? There are still a lot of topics, especially nonfiction, which are not widely available as ebooks, or at least not for significantly cheaper prices.


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## Shaun Jeffrey (Jun 17, 2010)

5 years ago you'd have been laughed at for suggesting that ebooks would outsell print books. What the future holds only time will tell, but it's interesting times, that's for sure.


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## jbcohen (Jul 29, 2011)

I wonder what the book industry trade has to say about the matter.  Unfortunately I do not know where to look.


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## Jan Strnad (May 27, 2010)

You can always start here: http://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/home/index.html


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## Tara Maya (Nov 4, 2010)

jbcohen said:


> I wonder what the book industry trade has to say about the matter.


Some are dismissive, some are panicked. And some are preparing for the future.


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## StephenLivingston (May 10, 2011)

Glad to hear it.  E-books are no longer the future of publishing they are the here and now.


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## Martin Perry (Aug 2, 2011)

It's the convenience and cost that does it. With Kindle you can consume books at an almighty rate and it not cost you the Earth. At the same time the device is easy to carry and weighs hardly anything.

I agree about Christmas. It really feels like we are reaching a point where every serious reader either owns a Kindle/eReader, or intends to purchase one within the very near future.


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## jbcohen (Jul 29, 2011)

Actually Martin there are two types of costs: long term costs and short term costs.  Short term costs are the cost of the reader, you pay it once and its done, while long term costs are the costs of the electronic books themselves.  As a customer its the long term costs that one needs to pay most attention to, because that's where they really get you.  I bought a Kindle simply because I preferr to pay small long term costs, as low as possible, and Amazon was willing to oblige.


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## Martin Perry (Aug 2, 2011)

Obviously you're absolutely right about their being a cost associated to the reader, but I think Amazon have been very good at cultivating the idea that eBooks are cheaper. Were the Kindle itself not so reasonably priced, that initial bump might remain a problem, but I think with the sub-$150 options they've ensured the overall impression is of a value-for-money product.


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## QuantumIguana (Dec 29, 2010)

There are long-term costs with readers too. They have a finite lifespan. Sooner or later, it will break down, or you'll step on it, or whatever. The up-front costs of readers can be a barrier to adopting an e-readers for families. With paper books, a one-time purchase of a book means the entire family can read it, but with e-books, you need a reader for each person. I fully expect e-reader prices to continue to drop, but currently, it still could be daunting for many families.

Paper books can be had at little cost, short-term or long-term. I can be given a paper book for free, or buy it used quite cheaply. I can get plenty of free e-books, but to save money, I have to choose the free or very cheap books over normally priced books.

What sold me on the Kindle was the e-ink and ready availability of e-books. I have some old classics, the font is tiny and the paper is yellowed, which made it very hard to read. On the Kindle, it is as crisp and clear as any other book. Also, some of these old classics are hard to find in paper, but they are a quick download from Gutenberg away from my Kindle.


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