A whopping 331 percent is how much cellphone book sales grew in Japan last year—from the equivalent of some $14 million to $58 million. Net-based sales of nonphone e-books zoomed from $41 million to $68 million, almost 70 percent.
Cellphone-based sales are expected to reach $99 million this year, $20 million more than non-phone sales, reports the Digital Content Association of Japan (AnimeNews Network via MobileRead).
Photo is of Chaco, a young Japanese cellphone novelist who composes on the go and has written at least five novels, selling more than a million copies (see Wired for more).
What it all means
So is there a message for readers and publishers outside Japan? Keep in mind that probably most of the books are manga works or short-form fiction created for phones. Typical cellphone novels are said to be 200-500 pages long, but keep in mind that the screens are tiny.
The short lengths are not necessarily a Bad Thing, if it can get people reading and perhaps open them to the possibility of reading full-length novels. Better displays, such as fold-out E Ink screens, should help in the next few years. Meanwhile major U.S. publishers are experimenting with short-form works for mobile phones. I do see a parallel with audio books, the on-the-go angle. What does this say about modern lifestyles when there’s less time to enjoy books in the optimal way—while you’re lazing back on the sofa?
Other links of interest:
–A well organized directory free WiFi sites here in the States, complete with a Google Maps mashup, appears at Fobes.com. Some of the sites are in public libraries. You don’t necessarily have to feel pressured to order another cup of coffee while you’re downloading War and Peace from Project Gutenberg or viewing e-books on your iPhone via Manybooks.net
—Goodreads and other LibraryThing competitors are discussed in The Age’s article on book-related social networks, where you and friends can exchange book recs. The numbers for all the sites are still tiny. Goodreads has just 125,000 members, while LibraryThing has drawn 200,000. Will we see a flood of book-related widgets? Whatsonmybookshelf.com lets you embed it in Facebook, for example.
“but keep in mind that the screens are tiny” — This makes Japanese phones sound as if they are smaller than their US or European counterparts, which is incorrect. Japanese cell phones have great screen sizes with adjustable font sizes. Click here for an image of a typical screen >> http://gazoo.com/g-blog/gen_mama/119839/Article.aspx