US E-book sales reach $1bn
Jinfo Blog

11th November 2010

By Penny Crossland

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It was bound to happy sooner or later – the US eBooks sector is set to reach the $1billion mark by the end of this year. After the launch of various eReaders, research organisations are now turning their attention to the content that is available via these devices. According to research recently published by Forrester (http://digbig.com/5bcwep) US spending on eBooks will have grown by $301 million since this time last year and is due to reach $2.81 billion by 2015. As paidcontent (http://digbig.com/5bcwen) puts it, the sector could soon become the 'most digital of all media industries', just like the music and video industries did several years ago. However, before we get too carried away by these figures and start talking about the demise of the traditional book publishing industry, it’s worth bearing in mind that only 7% of all adults who are online and book readers actually read eBooks. While there is obviously room for growth, these 7% happen to be enthusiastic readers of books in all formats, and consume 41% of books digitally. The author of the Forrester report believes that as more consumers get the hang of eBooks they will embrace the format and continue to read books digitally. While paidcontent believes that the time will come when physical book publishing will support the digital publishing business, an interesting posting on the Los Angeles Times blog (http://digbig.com/5bcwem) wonders if publishers’ revenues will increase as a result of the digital evolution in the industry: if eBook sales replace hardcopy book sales rather than act as an additional format then profits will stagnate. Or as the author put it: 'A billion looks good if it’s a bonus; if it’s just a slice of a new pie, it’s slightly less delicious'. Talk of US consumers going digital in their reading habits makes the results of an OnCampus Research report (http://digbig.com/5bcwek) all the more surprising. It found that eReaders have yet to catch on with US students, with 92% of those surveyed stating that they do not own one and only 13% reportedly buying an eBook of any kind in the last three months. According to the report, 74% of US students prefer traditional print to digital, with most citing the costs of electronic text books as prohibitive. Some commented that eReaders are currently better designed for reading fiction rather than text books: students like to make notes in margins, highlight passages and finally sell them on at the end of their courses. No doubt, eReader manufacturers will be taking note.

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