eBook vs. Book
Retailer profit is the the scary thing. Hardcover bestsellers account for a significant volume of brick and mortar sales. This is precisely the most popular ebook category. It is not hard to see how this helped hasten Border’s end and threatens print book viability. Year to date print book sales of Adult Fiction as a whole is down 20% according to Nielson Bookscan yet ebooks are not making up the difference as they represent only about 3-5% of total sales for publishers.
Ebooks are great for consumers - in the short term. Less money for retailer and less sales for publishers in the long run means for a publicly traded company a big correction in the coming years. Conglomerate publishers like Random House and Penguin operate on a large overhead. Downsizing is almost inevitable. What that means for overall book output remains to be seen.
Fasten your seat-belts, we’re in for a bumpy ride.
(via teachingliteracy)
