US eBook buyers topped themselves—yet again—in February, according to the Association of American Publishers, spending a cool $90.3 million during that month on digital prose.
“… e-Books ranked as the #1 format among all categories of Trade publishing (Adult Hardcover, Adult Paperback, Adult Mass Market, Children’s/Young Adult Hardcover, Children’s/Young Adult Paperback).”
The statistics released rather act as the proverbial ‘shot in the arm’ to myself–and to various other indie authors–hoping that rampant book piracy wouldn’t scare away new eBook buyers, nor sour the spending of existing customers. Not so! For, not only do good indie writers refuse to stop creating and posting reasonably-priced eBooks but an increasing number of readers worldwide are seeking out new authors, titles and sites… apparently trying to find a fresh alternative to shelling out $14-$21 for eBooks from large publishing houses.
There’s more: in February, for the first time US consumers purchased more eBooks than paperbacks (roughly ten million dollars worth of “more”), making Amazon’s nebulous claims of yore seem a bit more plausible. Last year I frequented several blogs from publicists, marketing industry professionals and authors switching to eBook format, all of which—at one time or another—wondered if perhaps eBook writers wouldn’t help turn the economy around in a significant way. Their philosophizing proved correct, provided one includes the millions of consumers that actually shelled out good money for digital prose.
As often as I read discussions on–and write of–the subject of eReaders and non-dedicated devices, it doesn’t really matter if folks are reading on Kindles, Nooks, iPads or laptops as long as the number of eBooks being bought increases by leaps and bounds each quarter. Only when (or if) those numbers start leveling off will the device battle really heat up, which I must admit I see coming down the road. Despite the veritable glut of eBooks being written for under $5, large publishing houses keep hiking their eBook up higher and higher to the apparent mystification—and resentment–of their consumer base. However, the denial of some has proven a boon for others as more and more folks with spending money buy less-expensive indie/self-published writing valiantly posted all over the net.
Not all companies have been blind to the changes. Smashwords was formed on an indie base and is growing ever the more successful with each passing month. If you count Amazon in with MacMillan or Penguin as part of the ‘big six’ the company still stands a bit apart from the others as the only large conglomerate to significantly reach out to indies with the Kindle Store platform… free to use, free to upload and with enviable options for self-published writers to utilize for a small percentage of each sale. Whatever folks may have against Amazon, in offering the platform they seem to have out-foxed the other five at their own game and ensured a place in the future of indie publishing, even if the more expensive eBooks don’t do so well.
Keep up the pen, eBook writers; keep buying o’ dig lit consumers. A few more record-breaking quarters and both groups may just claim a spot in The Semi-Great Recession’s wiki page. Even if our contribution to economic recovery is ignored we’ll have great eBooks to read, notoriety and a bit of extra income.
Via Meredith Greene’s Greene Ink blog
The AAP reported ebook sales from publishers. The self- published ebooks were not included. So the real ebook sales were probably much higher. Even more encouragement for writers.