Amazon sells now 43% more ebooks then hardcovers

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Techtree.com India > News > Consumer Electronics > Kindle e-books Outsell Hardcovers by 43 percent

It seems quite unbelievable to me ... It seems the digital age where e-books are being preferred over the hard copies is here.
#43% #amazon #ebooks #hardcovers #sells
  • Profile picture of the author Alexa Smith
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    • Profile picture of the author Alfred Shelver
      You make a good point but for many people that are online allot, Amazon is the only place they buy books. So if they Amazon the King of paper books is selling more ebooks than paper books very soon I think stores like Barnes and Noble etc need to adapt or die.

      At what point do you think we will no longer use printed books I believe it will be inevitable if one looks at current trends especially with the introduction of the iPad which just makes ebook reading more accessible.



      Originally Posted by Alexa Smith View Post

      I saw this on the News last night, and was also very surprised indeed ... at first.

      But, thinking about it some more, it's not really quite so surprising at all, because what's actually being compared here are sales-numbers of hard-copy and digital products purchased from one specific retailer (albeit a very big one) whose only ordering method is a digital one. Obviously they're going to have far more "digitally-oriented" customers than Borders, Barnes and Noble or almost anyone else in the book-trade.

      In other words, the figures are greatly skewed, and actually not representative of the public, nor indeed even of the book-trade, at all.
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      • Profile picture of the author Lance K
        Originally Posted by nashelver View Post

        At what point do you think we will no longer use printed books <snip>
        I don't see that happening. Not in my lifetime anyway.
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        ~ Zig Ziglar
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        • Profile picture of the author davewebsmith
          Originally Posted by Lance K View Post

          I don't see that happening. Not in my lifetime anyway.
          Well unless we live really long .. I have seen BetaMax, VHS, DVD, HDDVD, BluRay, AVI, DIVx and now movies on demand on my PS3

          8 track, audio cassettes, cd's, mp3, mp4 and podcasts on my IPhone

          Technology moves faster than we realise ... Books will become obselete ...

          Google to scan 400,000 Austrian library books
          (AFP) - Jun 15, 2010
          AFP: Google to scan 400,000 Austrian library books
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          • Profile picture of the author Lance K
            Yeah, I probably just sounded like my grandmother does about computers.

            I'll probably be her age when it happens though, so hopefully I'm so stubborn that I don't give a darn.

            Originally Posted by davewebsmith View Post

            Well unless we live really long .. I have seen BetaMax, VHS, DVD, HDDVD, BluRay, AVI, DIVx and now movies on demand on my PS3

            8 track, audio cassettes, cd's, mp3, mp4 and podcasts on my IPhone

            Technology moves faster than we realise ... Books will become obselete ...

            Google to scan 400,000 Austrian library books
            (AFP) - Jun 15, 2010
            AFP: Google to scan 400,000 Austrian library books
            Signature
            "You can have everything in life you want if you will just help enough other people get what they want."
            ~ Zig Ziglar
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          • Profile picture of the author Peter Juan Pablo
            Originally Posted by davewebsmith View Post

            Well unless we live really long .. I have seen BetaMax, VHS, DVD, HDDVD, BluRay, AVI, DIVx and now movies on demand on my PS3

            8 track, audio cassettes, cd's, mp3, mp4 and podcasts on my IPhone

            Technology moves faster than we realise ... Books will become obselete ...

            Google to scan 400,000 Austrian library books
            (AFP) - Jun 15, 2010
            I remember all those things (yes I am that old).

            I've seen it all before. People refusing to give it up, resisting change.

            The writings on the wall! It's inevitable, everything will come to pass, in time. The question is 'how long?' It always happens sooner than you think.

            Physical books will always be around and collectable, but maybe in limited numbers and more expensive. More of a luxury than of late.

            Fact is stranger than Science Fiction.
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            • Profile picture of the author heybert00
              Do we belive that number? I dont even know someone who has an ebook reader
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              • Profile picture of the author JayXtreme
                Originally Posted by heybert00 View Post

                Do we belive that number? I dont even know someone who has an ebook reader
                I can read e-books on my blackberry, iPhone and iPad....
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            • Profile picture of the author rnjonjo
              Originally Posted by Peter Juan Pablo View Post

              I remember all those things (yes I am that old).

              I've seen it all before. People refusing to give it up, resisting change.

              The writings on the wall! It's inevitable, everything will come to pass, in time. The question is 'how long?' It always happens sooner than you think.

              Physical books will always be around and collectable, but maybe in limited numbers and more expensive. More of a luxury than of late.

              Fact is stranger than Science Fiction.
              Aaaah....

              anybody remember the phone booth?

              just 10 -15 years ago, there was a phone booth in every street corner.

              now I can't find one to save my life...

              lesson from this?

              every SINGLE thing passes as new tech comes along...

              sad but true...
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              • Profile picture of the author seasoned
                Originally Posted by rnjonjo View Post

                Aaaah....

                anybody remember the phone booth?

                just 10 -15 years ago, there was a phone booth in every street corner.

                now I can't find one to save my life...

                lesson from this?

                every SINGLE thing passes as new tech comes along...

                sad but true...
                Well, the toll phones are ANOTHER illogical comparison, in the US anyway.

                1. The ILECS had a LOCK! A MONOPOLY on the market. Apparently there was some suit in the 70s or 80s.
                2. The CLECS and even PRIVATE companies started planting them. That meant less money for EVERYONE. They started to hurt, ESPECIALLY the private companies. THEY thought this UNFAIR.

                That happened BEFORE the average person could afford a cell phone. Where they even really called cell phones back then?

                3. They added taxes to EVERYONE'S phone bills supposedly to pay private payphone owners because of things like 800 calls. With an 800 call, the ILECS make money, the CLECs may make money, the private companies made NOTHING!

                4. THEN they started really disappearing. This was funny, since at #2 there was an increase in their numbers. BTW You can BET the private phones, the last to come in, were the FIRST to go. That ALONE may make one think phones have seen their day.

                And you know, hard line public phones will ALWAYS be something someone needs. If they go, it will be bad to see them go. HEY, have you ever been to an airport? They generally have a lot of them. ODD for a plcae where space is at a premium and most passengers have enough to get a cell phone.

                Steve
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                • Profile picture of the author Gail_Curran
                  Ebooks might be all right for novels and things that you only read once, but they are grossly inefficient as a source of information. I feel sorry for students who are stuck with them.

                  It's physically impossible to scan an ebook the way you would a physical book. That makes them hugely frustrating and slow for people who locate and absorb information through pattern recognition and non-linear tracking.
                  -
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                • Profile picture of the author phmoisan
                  I do appreciate looking at my books in my library at home.

                  My wife even convinced me to keep my 32-volume 1987 Encyclopedia Brittanica. A friend I spoke to a few weeks ago, making money in flea markets, told me he would be able to sell it to someone. It was up to me to decide on the price. I have procrastinated on the whole thing. Again my wife this week talked to me about making a final decision about it.

                  On the other hand, for the environment, it is IMHO a very food idea to use less trees. Trees look much better than books.

                  And an eBook reader is very practical. You can have all those IM PDFs you downloaded in the recent months/years.

                  The look and feel of a book would be forgotten by most people.

                  Take the LPs, for example. We all thought they would be gone by now. Well, last week, I spoke to a store owner of used CDs. He's been opened for the last 20 years, offering the best variety. He told me he will close his doors in september. And I saw today in a local newspaper in which he was interviewed that it's not the downloading of music that killed him, it's that many people buy CDs from online stores like Amazon at prices better than he can offer here in Quebec city. Most of customers are tourists nowadays. He even told me the LP market is growing, cause the people buying them can't be convinced that new technologies will make digital music sound better.

                  The printed book is here to stay, but for a reduced market, I believe. Look at me. I used to buy comics by the truckload. I stopped because I needed to keep that money for my IM business. A friend of mine showed me how good comics look on the iPad.

                  Nobody can predict for sure what will happen to the printed book. But the eBook will get the bigger market share.
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  • Profile picture of the author beeqwerty25
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    • Profile picture of the author x3xsolxdierx3x
      General question:

      Is there any 'danger' to shifting completely from the use of hardcover books to strictly eBooks? ....as far as the 'reliance' on any one medium over another....
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      • Profile picture of the author davewebsmith
        Originally Posted by x3xsolxdierx3x View Post

        General question:

        Is there any 'danger' to shifting completely from the use of hardcover books to strictly eBooks? ....as far as the 'reliance' on any one medium over another....
        Yes there is. The digital copies can be altered where a physical book cannot - Looking at the bigger picture history books and other information sources can be altered without you knowing unless you compared to the original book

        Its not to surprising since the IPad and other such technology is now allowing users take advantage of these ebooks. Libraries cannot keep up with all the new books available and going the ebook route means that the physical cost per sale is decreased

        no damaged stock
        no returned stock
        no storage costs
        no delivery costs
        no theft
        no theft fire insurance
        latest editions available immediately
        no printing costs
        no display costs in stores
        possibly no isbn licence costs

        Welcome to the new e-economy
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        • Profile picture of the author Aussie_Al
          The last few times I have been in a barnes and noble they have also been heavily pushing their ebook reader

          Yes there is. The digital copies can be altered where a physical book cannot - Looking at the bigger picture history books and other information sources can be altered without you knowing unless you compared to the original bo
          Many history books are re-written unless you go back and buy older versions you have no way of knowing what changes and amendments have been made
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        • Profile picture of the author _jose_
          Also more book sales due to people not being able to lend copies as easily.

          Originally Posted by davewebsmith View Post

          Yes there is. The digital copies can be altered where a physical book cannot - Looking at the bigger picture history books and other information sources can be altered without you knowing unless you compared to the original book

          Its not to surprising since the IPad and other such technology is now allowing users take advantage of these ebooks. Libraries cannot keep up with all the new books available and going the ebook route means that the physical cost per sale is decreased

          no damaged stock
          no returned stock
          no storage costs
          no delivery costs
          no theft
          no theft fire insurance
          latest editions available immediately
          no printing costs
          no display costs in stores
          possibly no isbn licence costs

          Welcome to the new e-economy
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        • Profile picture of the author gsuccess
          Many people now prefer ebooks because they can download them instantly, rather than waiting for them to arrive in the post. This is the main reason ebook sales are on the increase.
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      • Profile picture of the author JayXtreme
        Originally Posted by x3xsolxdierx3x View Post

        General question:

        Is there any 'danger' to shifting completely from the use of hardcover books to strictly eBooks? ....as far as the 'reliance' on any one medium over another....
        No.

        Not a chance, imho.
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        Bare Murkage.........

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  • Profile picture of the author alexbbbh
    The ebook reader market share is growing. And it's growing at a fast pace.

    Once the price settles at somewhere around $100 then everyone will make the switch. And we might get there sooner than we think. This year alone there was a lot of movement in that direction as all the big players dropped their prices:

    Amazon Ereaders:
    Kindle dropped from $259 -> $189
    Kindle Dx dropped from $489 -> $379


    Sony Ereaders:
    300 dropped from $169-> $149
    600 dropped from $199 -> $169
    900 dropped from $349 -> $299

    B&N Ereader:
    Nook -> $149
    Nook 3G dropped from $259 -> $199
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  • Profile picture of the author mowens17
    I guess its more environmentally friendly to, no need to worry about recycling or left in some cupboard.
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  • Profile picture of the author Congrats
    I think it's pretty shocking that people prefer ebook over hardcover while the price is not too much different. I see at times the same price for a hardcover and a kindle, see screenshot.

    Last month they sold 180 ebooks over 100 hardcover that's even a much bigger difference.
    I wonder what happens when they sell ebooks with more then 50% discount, it's all digital, no costs.

    Now, i'm waiting for their commision fee to go up as well to 50% for ebook downloads :-)
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    • Profile picture of the author Alexa Smith
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      • Profile picture of the author LinChick
        Originally Posted by Alexa Smith View Post

        In a way, it's depressing, and distressing, and I pray that the whole world of traditional publishing and bookselling won't go anywhere during my lifetime (and I think it probably won't).
        I seriously hope that traditional books don't disappear in my lifetime. My daughters are growing up with a love for books in much the same way that I did, and I would hate for physical books to disappear. I'm incredibly tactile when it comes to books and it involves all my senses - look, feel, smell. Well, okay, not taste, because clearly I'm not going to eat them, hehe. But I would miss them terribly.

        Kind of makes me want to hoard all the paperbacks and hardcovers I do have, though...
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        • Profile picture of the author Alexa Smith
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          • Profile picture of the author x3xsolxdierx3x
            Originally Posted by Alexa Smith View Post

            I'm with you.

            I think you might like this book very much!
            Oooh...any book with the word "Confessions" in the title, has got my attention....
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            • Profile picture of the author Alexa Smith
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              • Profile picture of the author Aussie_Al
                I have a huge amount of paperbacks and hardbacks however I think it will probably be a lot quicker than 50 years before 90% of "physical" books are gone

                Look how fast the cd format has died
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                • Profile picture of the author Alexa Smith
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                  • Profile picture of the author Aussie_Al
                    Originally Posted by Alexa Smith View Post

                    Has it? I'm buying CD's every month, and the number of suppliers and goods available seems to me to be increasing all the time. :confused:
                    Both Walmart and Best buy have dramatically reduced their space for music cds over the last 2 years

                    Most physical cd distributors figure they will be in business no more than 2-3 more years

                    On some level cds will always exist (just as LPs do) but probably more for serious collectors the average music fan will just download from I-tunes or a service like Spotify
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    • Profile picture of the author Kevin AKA Hubcap
      IMO, the greatest thing about e-books is the amount of variety it provides an author/publisher especially for non fiction works *but* it seems like not many are taking advantage of the medium.

      IMO an e-textbook should not be just a digital version of the hardcover it should be so much more. You have the ability to use video, interactive images and audio.

      A health textbook could show moving animations of blood flow through the body. A history text could show actual video from famous speeches. The possibilities are endless.

      When this starts to happen in earnest you'll see a big move away from printed books because a book in an electronic format will be able to expedite learning and understanding.

      I still think regular books will have a place. I love them. You can be rough and tumble with them. They don't break. They don't mind being dropped in the sand or sat on but their market share will decrease.
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  • Profile picture of the author Amanda Craven
    We had a debate on this only the other night on a literary podcast and, from what one panellist said, in certain countries (New Zealand in her case) the hardback is all but dead except for coffee table books.

    I'm with you on this, Alexa. I love books - love the smell and feel of them. They're the perfect, portable, affordable product and have been so for thousands of years. They've survived the burnings, the bannings and the digital age...so far...I don't want them to disappear EVER and that's not just because I write them.

    It's because a world without real books would be unimaginable.
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  • Profile picture of the author Congrats
    Don't you think it's a good thing as a writer to be able to publish your own digital books instead of being dependable on publishers? I think there's a much higher margin to be made while publishing your digital books on the net, your own site, Amazon and other sites.

    Shouldn't this be a writers dream?
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    • Profile picture of the author Alexa Smith
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      • Profile picture of the author Dan C. Rinnert
        Originally Posted by Alexa Smith View Post

        I don't see any winners of the Booker Prize for literature wanting to sell their books digitally, and some of them are multi-millionaires from their publishers' royalties.
        That may be because it isn't what they are used to.

        To become successful with the traditional book publishing route requires a different skill set than to become successful with a digital sales model. Someone who has worked their way through the jungle of the former, and found success doing it, may not be inclined to try a different method when the former is already benefiting them.
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    • Profile picture of the author LinChick
      Originally Posted by Congrats View Post

      Don't you think it's a good thing as a writer to be able to publish your own digital books instead of being dependable on publishers? I think there's a much higher margin to be made while publishing your digital books on the net, your own site, Amazon and other sites.

      Shouldn't this be a writers dream?
      It's certainly every want-to-be-writer's dream, I would think. I mean, with the birth of self-publishing sites like Lulu and various others, there's been a flood of new fiction on the scene. But, it's not all readable, either. Being able to write and publish without being dependent upon a publisher is good for the masses, but makes it more difficult for the talented writers to be recognized in between the crap, too.
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      • Profile picture of the author Bill Farnham
        I was watching a Charlie Rose clip the other day where he was talking to Jeff Bezos on Feb 26th, 2009, and Jeff was saying that Amazon was now (back then) getting 10% of its' book sales from digital books. Here's the link if anybody is interested...

        Charlie Rose - A conversation with Jeff Bezos, Amazon.com

        Things have changed a lot since then, appearently.

        What will be interesting to see is how major book publishers (and let's include magazine publishing houses as well) cope with the declining demand for physical products that can just as easily be bought as a digital version.

        There has to be a tipping point where the old technology no longer attracts investment money and atrophies at an exponential pace.

        If the technology progresses to the point that only a fraction of the books now digitized make the transition (think 20 years from now) to the new technology of the time (don't assume things will stay static) we as a society may lose a great deal of legacy knowledge as other societies of the past have done.

        As an analogy, I can look at the huge amount of old software I own that can no longer be accessed through my newest computer/OS. And this has been happening for decades. Sure, things progress as far as software goes, but some things also lend themselves to "creative editing by those in charge" at least as far as making decisions about what becomes available or financially feasible to provide to the masses.

        Sidebar: Ironically, one of the biggest hurdles right now to putting a man back on the moon is that the core of engineers and companies that enabled those first flights into non-orbital space are dead, retired, or out of business, and the new generation of folks have to reinvent the wheel was it comes to manned space travel back to the moon.

        ~Bill
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        • Profile picture of the author Aussie_Al
          I had a good pal of mine working at Simon and Schuster who got laid off last year - he says the physical book industry is in a terrible mess - pretty much as bad as the music industry so I could see book publishers doing digital only releases of books, printing hard backs and paper backs to pre-orders only or demand only...easily within the next 2-3 years
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  • Profile picture of the author MsDebra
    Each has its place. I love ebooks for the "download now" convenience, but I still love curling up on the couch with a good book on Sunday afternoon.
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  • Profile picture of the author cashcow
    Many people now prefer ebooks because they can download them instantly, rather than waiting for them to arrive in the post. This is the main reason ebook sales are on the increase.
    Yes, I can attest to that. I actually had to stop using my Kindle because I was buying so many books (Oh, and it doesn't seem like you are spending money when you just download them from your kindle either!)

    I was averaging 2 books a week and that can add up!

    So, I had to hit the yard sales and load up on paperbacks!

    But I have to say, I still love actual books. I would be so bummed if someday there were no bookstores to go into and browse through.

    Lee
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    Gone Fishing
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  • Profile picture of the author garyv
    One good thing about ebooks, is that it makes it easier for a talented unknown to break through. We don't have to sift through the same authors over and over by the same big publishing companies.

    The same thing has happened w/ the music companies. Digital delivery has made it much easier for talent to be found by the masses.
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    • Profile picture of the author Alfred Shelver
      But for how long? Wont it become extremely saturated and only ebooks brought out by "publishing" companies will have large readerships.

      I think the Role of Publishing companies will change they will Be more like proof readers and Reviewers when the paper book finally dies in 50 years (my guess )....

      But yes those barriers to entry being so low will give more opportunity. I am just afraid that opportunity will be lost in the noise of every would be writer.

      Very interesting though, the "green brigade" will be torn as less there will be trees being cut down but many of them I am sure love books.


      Originally Posted by garyv View Post

      One good thing about ebooks, is that it makes it easier for a talented unknown to break through. We don't have to sift through the same authors over and over by the same big publishing companies.

      The same thing has happened w/ the music companies. Digital delivery has made it much easier for talent to be found by the masses.
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  • Profile picture of the author Lateef Olajide
    That margin is much. I think it's still about the word - 'INSTANT' everything.
    Wait why should I wait days for the books to arive when I can start reading NOW!
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  • Profile picture of the author AnneRose88
    Something that no one seems to be noticing:
    Those statistics compare ebook to hardcover sales. NOT paperbacks.

    Well, correct me if I'm wrong, but hardcover sales have always been MUCH slower than paperback sales.
    I mean, hardcover books are usually much more expensive and only a small percentage of all books is available as hardcover in the first place...

    So, even though those stats do show a trend, I think most people here are misinterpreting the stats.
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    • Profile picture of the author Congrats
      So, what you say is that a hardcover book is not the same as a normal printed book? How many hardcovers are there available compared to normally printed books?

      That will make numbers skewed indeed.

      Amazon has some tricky way of marketing techniques.

      They have put their Kindle device on the front page for months and now finaly they can say, best selling product on Amazon.

      I think they are afraid for the Ipad and other devices coming out this year. So, they want to win as much people for their own device. I'm not sure if it's just me but i have tested out some ereaders in a shop and was far from impressed, they are so slow, small screen size, hard to read. I really believed in the concept until i had a few in my hands. I hated it. Now that the Ipad is out, it seems like a dream come true. But i haven't had one in my hands of as yet.




      Originally Posted by AnneRose88 View Post

      Something that no one seems to be noticing:
      Those statistics compare ebook to hardcover sales. NOT paperbacks.

      Well, correct me if I'm wrong, but hardcover sales have always been MUCH slower than paperback sales.
      I mean, hardcover books are usually much more expensive and only a small percentage of all books is available as hardcover in the first place...

      So, even though those stats do show a trend, I think most people here are misinterpreting the stats.
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      • Profile picture of the author AnneRose88
        Originally Posted by Congrats View Post

        So, what you say is that a hardcover book is not the same as a normal printed book? How many hardcovers are there available compared to normally printed books?
        Yes, a hardcover and a paperback are two completely different types of books.
        The former is heavier and more expensive than the latter.
        And even on the New York Times bestseller list they have different categories for hardcover and paperback.

        How many hardcovers are there available compared to paperbacks?
        I have no idea. But my guess is that the vast majority of books (maybe about 80% or something?) are available only as paperbacks.
        But even for those books that are available in both versions, paperback sales usually outsell the hardcover sales by a LARGE margin.

        Of course, of those books that are available in both formats the hardcover version is released *first* (otherwise no one would buy them at all).
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  • Profile picture of the author seasoned
    You know, that news is REALLY pretty meaningless!!!!! If you are going to buy an amazon ebook, WHERE will you buy it from? AMAZON, right!? And HOW MUCH market share do they have in regular books?

    I don't know, but here is an ominous quote:

    But Rowen asserted that Barnes&Noble.com took "considerable market share" from Amazon in the third quarter, "an estimated 22 percent of the total." That's up from 18 percent in the second quarter.
    POORLY written, but it makes it clear that amazons share is DROPPING, and B&N got at least 22% of amazons market share. It is more likely 22% of the total.

    ALSO, amazons revenue has plummeted, which indicates they aren't a big leader. SO, you have a monopoly, or near monopoly, at 1/3rd the cost and quicker fulfillment from ANYWHERE, compared to a FAR smaller market share of the traditional market. 43% more? Why is it so LOW!?!?!?

    BTW the CD market hasn't died AT ALL! They tweaked it into something called a DVD! They are STILL trying to hit the planned limit for THAT! Has *****ANYONE***** come close yet? Does ****ANYONE**** care? I mean the CURRENT limit FAR exceeds the amount that once caused a woman at a store, around 2000, THAT I WAS TRYING TO BUY FROM, to laugh and say "WHO WOULD NEED SO MUCH SPACE?"! And flash memory is kind of impractical. They STILL haven't created a bank card! Without that, It isn't a real good long term medium. WHY!?!? The large containers are large and bulky and overkill for smaller distributions, and the tiny chips are too easy to lose, etc... PLUS, they cost more to make! Still, the maximum they are trying to hit on a DVD, as I recall, EXCEEDS the current maximum on flash. As for using the internet? At least in the US, you can bet costs will go UP!

    Steve
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  • Profile picture of the author Jeffery
    Congrats, you have a very good point from a consumer point of view. I am a contributing webmaster for the largest media retailer in Europe. The guy in charge of everything computers is an associate of mine. His studies on the sales floor for the various readers showed that roughly 75% of potential buyers did "not" buy once they actually hand the readers in their hands. The two factors that converted them from potential buyers to dead sales were: screen size and user experience. When asked what were the reasons that prompted them to "not" buy.. the number one answer was screen size. It turns out that similar studies in other franchises, world wide, produced similar results. The results were cross referenced and this was an overwhelming factor to no sales.. users could not see themselves getting cozy with the readers. Interesting, but no surprise to marketing professionals.

    Jeffery 100% :-)
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  • Profile picture of the author seekyt
    Even many colleges are phasing out hard-cover books for e-books, which can be purchased cheaper, cut down on employees needed at the University to sell the books, eliminate waste, lower taxes, etc. I think e-books are the way to go for most things (except classic literature, Oxford dictionaries, Atlases, and Encyclopedias... I like having a nice collection of hard covers for those, even if you can get better info online - Google Earth trumps an Atlas any day).
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    • Profile picture of the author AnneRose88
      Well, I predict that thanks to E-Ink technology (E Ink - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia)
      within 10 years from now *at least* 50% of all books (whether hardcover or paperback) will be replaced by e-books. I mean, both versions (paper + ebook) will continue to be available, but at least 50% will be purchased as e-books.

      That could easily happen within 5 years from now, but within 10 years for sure.


      By the way, currently Amazon Kindle sales don't count for the New York Times bestseller list.
      I wonder how long it will take until they'll start to count Kindle and other e-book sales.
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  • Profile picture of the author dpwilliams
    This also makes me sad. I love books.

    But I also love my kindle and the convenience of purchasing a book and getting it instantly has come in handy on more than one occasion.

    I see it coming. There a just too many advantages to ebooks from a retail point of view and from a consumer point of view.

    Those that adjust will survive the change.
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  • Profile picture of the author schoemoney
    Originally Posted by Black Magick View Post

    I'm always gonna purchase hardcover books. E-Books don't do anything for me. Maybe it's all in my head, but I feel that I get way more benefit out of reading an actual hardcover book than from reading an E-Book. Sitting in front of the computer reading text in the form of a book? Nah, not my style. I'm not gonna buy the Kindle or whatever it's called. Plus, I like having my own personal library in my house full of all the different books I like.
    I'm thinking pretty much the same (although I prefer soft cover over hard ones)

    But... Kindle is their top selling products. And ebooks are coming fast. So I cannot ignore this. Kindle is said to have better screen than iPad, but the user interface in Kindle (and buttons and whatever) are said to be bad.

    The screen is better: you can read in sunlight (not going to happen with iPad, no way).

    But have you guys actually used Kindle (I haven't, but would be very keen to test) or have you only read reviews?
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  • Profile picture of the author opiniones
    I hope this trend continues. The less trees getting cut down the better.
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  • Profile picture of the author ArticlesThatRock
    e-Ink readers like the Amazon Kindle are the future of reading. The average Kindle user reads 3 times as many books as he read before owning the Kindle. I love reading outside even when it's sunny or windy, and the Kindle weighs much less than a book.

    The main complaint I have is that the Kindle is not a general purpose computer. If Apple releases the iPad with an e-Ink screen, I will buy it.
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  • People like the Kindle.
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  • Profile picture of the author coco28
    I read tech ebooks on my PC all the time, but I can't imagine swapping a paperback thriller for the ebook equivelant. Maybe its because most of my paperback thrillers spend a significant amount of their life in my bathroom. Dont think that would be a good environment for any ebook reader...
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