E-Book Sales Keep Rising
Amazon have been very influential in the recent growth in popularity of both e-book readers and e-books. The Amazon Kindle reader first appeared on the market in November of 2006 and subsequent updates followed with the launch of the Kindle 2.0 in February of 2009 and the August 2010 launch of the upgraded third generation Kindle. The large display Kindle DX was released in the summer of 2009 and also had an upgrade in August 2010.
A great many industry analysts suggested that, notwithstanding the influential role of Amazon in the development of the e-book reader market, the release of the Apple iPad would signal the demise of the Kindle reader. However, after the launch of the third generation Kindle – accompanied by a reduction in the retail price – Amazon has sold out of their readers again. On the face of it, demand seems to remain high for what has now become Amazon’s top selling product.
Some people have accepted e-books quite readily. Others seem to love physical books as much as they love reading. However, for most people the ability to carry large quantities of books around with them, coupled with the ease of operation offered by e-book readers, has been a winning combination. Recent e-book reader price cuts, prompted or at least hastened by the launch of the iPad, have made e-book readers more attractive to many consumers.
Amazon recently confirmed that they are now selling more Kindle books than conventional hardback books. The lower sales price of e-books – which use no paper or ink and have no delivery fees to speak of – certainly helps. It seems reasonable to suppose that e-book sales will overtake paperback sales – and probably sooner rather than later.
Apart from the price, the ease of purchase of e-books is another driving factor. Readers can download a book to their Kindle in less than sixty seconds, at any time of the day or night, just as long as they can connect to Amazon’s Kindle store.
One possible stumbling block for many readers was a reticence to be “tied” to any particular e-book reader. Amazon seem to have overcome this rather nicely by releasing an absolute plethora of free “apps” which allows Kindle books to be read on a variety of different devices. Currently, Kindle books can be read on the Mac, the PC, the iPhone, the iPad, the Blackberry smart phone and any device which uses the Android operating system. It’s a smart move by Amazon. Not only does it remove the fear of being tied to a particular brand of hardware but each new app acts as a separate retail outlet for Amazon’s huge selection of Kindle books. At the moment, around about 20% of all Kindle book sales are estimated to be aimed at non-Kindle hardware.
All things considered, it looks like e-books are here to stay and that they will gradually account for a higher and higher percentage of book sales. It also seems probable that Amazon will continue to be a driving influence in the world of digital publishing in future.
