New figures from the American Association of Publishers reveal that over the 3 years 2008 to 2011 eBook sales jumped from 0.6% of total trade market share to 6.4%. Small numbers, maybe, but it is an increase in eBook sales of 1274%
Even more significantly, it is now plain that as eBook sales climb, sales of mass market paperbacks drop. In fact, they have plunged, descending 13.8% since 2008.
This confirms what I observed over five weeks at sea. eReaders, many of them brand spanking new, were much more prevalent than mass market paperbacks, and the dozen or so owners of eReaders I spoke to were uniformly delighted with their new acquisitions. (As a footnote, those who owned iPads were thrilled, while those with Kindles and other gadgets that read just in black on gray were merely very pleased.)
There is a ray of hope for traditional publishers, though. It seems evident that it is the humble paperback that is going to be replaced by the eReader, and good quality, beautifully produced "real" books are always going to find a market, albeit a discerning one.
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