There is so much buzz about ebooks right now. They are making the news on a daily basis. Have you heard about the author who has sold a million ebooks already this year? Did you see the latest gadgets for reading ebooks in your local store? There is talk of an ebook revolution. Will the local bookstores be closing? So much buzz. So many questions.
While I can certainly help you to understand more about ebooks, there are some answers I don't have. I cannot tell you whether your bookstore will still be open a few years from now. However I can tell you how and why ebooks have been sweeping through the publishing industry. And I am fairly certain that they are here to stay for quite a few years. Beyond that... it is hard to know exactly where technology will lead us.
So why all the recent interest in ebooks? After all, haven't ebooks been around for years already?
Although ebooks have been available for more than ten years the momentum wasn't really there. It was difficult to read ebooks on inadequate screens and only a small percentage of readers were purchasing ebooks on a regular basis. In general, readers were not convinced that reading an ebook was as good as reading a "real" print book.
There was a glimpse of what was possible, however, and research and development teams were hard at work coming up with new designs that would match what readers were looking for.
As new ebook readers were introduced and more suitable ebook formats emerged, reading ebooks started to become a more enjoyable experience.
Quarter by quarter ebook sales climbed. Even when the economy was sluggish and sales of print books were flat, ebooks continued their upward push. The recent flood of interest in ebooks has been driven by the general acceptance in 2010 that ebook sales were seriously competing with, and even threatening, sales of print books.
The tipping point came in early 2011 when, according to the Association of American Publishers, ebook sales overtook paperbacks for the first time. Since then ebook sales have continued to grow with a 117% increase from 2010 to 2011.
As you can probably imagine publishers have been in a flurry. With the comparative ease of publishing an ebook online, a large number of authors have been bypassing agents and publishers and "going it alone". The average price of ebooks has been lowered but the writers are still earning more because the agents and publishers are not taking a cut.
The way the ebook industry is evolving reflects this. In the major ebook stores you will find traditionally published books which have been converted to ebooks alongside the works of self-published
emerging authors.
They are all trying to get YOUR attention. There is a bit of a mad scramble on right now as everyone involved tries to establish their place in this dynamic new publishing world.
As readers we have been changing too. Twenty years ago very few people owned a computer so there was no need to have ebooks. Nowadays it's unusual for someone NOT to own several different
devices capable of reading ebooks - from PCs to laptops to mobile phones and more.
We are changing the way we read.
It's an exciting time for readers. It's so easy now to go online, browse the latest books at your favorite ebook store, then download and be reading a new book within five minutes.
Instead of paying more than twenty dollars for a hardcover book or paperback the average ebook costs only a few dollars and often less!
About this Article
This article is an excerpt from "The Beginner's Guide to Ebooks" by Gary McLaren. To find out more about buying, reading, and enjoying ebooks, download your copy at www.EbookIntroduction.com
You don't need an ebook reader to read this!
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Although e-books may be gaining in popularity, I’m not convinced that they provide any better reading experience than print books. I just finished some courses on Yahoo! Contributor Network and learned that reading comprehension is lower online than a print publication. I think electronic reading materials are better if they are article length than book length. For a short article the writer can write to increase comprehension of that article. However, as a reader, I have borrowed books to read online and enjoyed them.
Valerie, thanks for your comment. I know the layout can be a key factor for learning materials and this is usually quite different for textbooks, which incorporate numerous graphics, as compared to a novel. I’m wondering whether your course included data for comprehension when reading on tablets such as the iPad? Also I know the type of displays can make a huge difference to how long someone can sit and read on an electronic device. Displays using E-ink technology are far easier to read on for long periods compared to reading on a regular PC or laptop. I think it will be very interesting to watch exactly how the education sector uses ebook technology over the coming few years.