Wrong Again

John Guillen20 Comments

Not me, of course. But many others. How many times have you heard about the decline of the book? Or that people aren’t reading anymore? Or that eBooks will put an end to print books?

New sales numbers just released prove otherwise. EBook sales are down year over year roughly 10 percent. Paperback sales are up more than 5 percent. The Kindle hasn’t killed anything. And Amazon hasn’t killed or taken anything over. People are still reading. And it appears that the ridiculous prices of eBooks are turning people off of buying eBooks when the paperback version is almost certainly cheaper, and the hardcover version is just about the same price.

What do you think about eBook sales now stalling for multiple years in a row and a relative resurgence happening with print books?

20 thoughts on “Wrong Again”

  3. I tend to only buy ebooks if they’re like $2.99 or less, not always but usually… because while I still get the book it’s digital and so for me it’s like it doesn’t really cost the publishers the way a book does… no printing and distribution costs you know… so if I’m gonna pay more than that I want something I can wrap my hands around… something tangible in a way that ebooks just never will be…

    but if you think about it as a society we’re reading more than ever… not necessarily books but as a whole… think about how often people used to listen to the radio for news or weather reports or what not… now you look up those things online and read about them… we read emails, facebook, texts… we’re probably about reading more now than ever before…

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      • that may not be the sort of reading that’s best for people… but I think it’s creating a society that is just used to reading all sorts of stuff… and so perhaps less hesitant to pick up a book… I remember when I was real little some folks thought it was nerdy to read as much as I did… but now we all read whether we think about it or not… and so it’s a natural extinction of our lives… and with the access to books online and them constantly surrounding us I believe it to encourage people to be more literate… at least that is my hope…

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  4. I personally prefer print copies of books over eBooks. I find that I read a lot better when I have the book physically in my hands. There has to be the motion of turning the pages. I have to be using multiple senses while I read the book or I don’t truly grasp it. I’ve tried reading eBooks but I always end up skipping through them. I don’t try to read them. They feel like I’m on facebook or something and I can just scroll down until I find something that interests me.
    I’m not surprised at the decline in eBook says either. I see more young people purchases books in store. Perhaps if there were more of a variety of eBooks for younger audiences, the sales would increase? Then again I don’t know how people would feel if their children spent even more time staring at a screen. It’s so easy to multitask and waste time when you’re online.

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    • Hm. Reading an eBook makes you feel like you’re on Facebook? What? Or online? I don’t think that has anything to do with the decline. I’ve actually never heard that before. I think the novelty of them is gone. And the prices are ridiculous.

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      • Well the ones I read came with tablets and computers that members of my family got. I didn’t have to purchase them, so that’s why I didn’t really consider the price factor. However I do think those prices for that format are ridiculous.

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  5. I think iBooks has a lot to answer for. I’ll have to look up the article I read last week which listed the four (?) publishers that worked out a deal with iBooks.
    Maybe twice a year will I pay full price for an eBook, then again I don’t particularly care whether what I’m reading is on the best sellers list as long as it captures my attention. I don’t have exact numbers but perhaps 85% of what’s on my reader right now was in the free to 99 cent range with some of those being ARCs
    Orionwriter, there were times when my kids were little that I would have gladly given them an iPad or something similar for an hour or so just so I could get an hour or two of quiet; there is only so much of the Barney theme song an adult can listen to before they go on a rampage but I’m glad I didn’t have that option. My kids now are happy, healthy, curious adults with morals, manners and no sense of entitlement.

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      • I do 🙂
        Not only are their books JUST as good as an established Big 5 author but they’re much, MUCH cheaper.
        Check this out! I was doing some research on Amazon to continue this discussion when I came across this!

        A book listed for Oprah’s book club, published in 2001 by Ballantine. Kindle version is $11.50. New Hardcover, HARDCOVER!, is $3.85, paperback is $1.95 and Audible is $17.95!
        Something is most definitely rotten in the state of our books!
        Sorry, I got side tracked: George R. R. Martin’s The World Of Ice and Fire, released October 28, 2014 is $22.60 for Kindle. Published by Bantam.
        Ana Spokes’ Shizzle, Inc. Released September 4, 2015, 99 cents for Kindle. Self Published.
        HUGE difference!
        I think the difference lies in the fact that with Indie authors they can set their own price. They know how much a reader is really willing to pay to read a good book without breaking the bank.
        I could buy between 25 and 30 Indie books for that same $22.60 plus taxes!
        I stuck with the Kindle price because Shizzle isn’t out in hard or paperback form yet.

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      • I know. But there’s a certain level of expectation with Big 5 books. Honestly, I’d have expectations for a self published book. Cause it’s impossible to know how much work was put into it. I know publishers are putting in their work. Not every book is a good one, but they’re working to make it so. Anyway, I still think ebooks are way overpriced. Even by self published authors at times.

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