Digital Publishing Success: A Look at the Numbers
By Kim Mateus • 02/02/2012
More positive news for the digital publishing market
As teachers and observers of the digital publishing revolution, we are drawn to the positive stories coming out of the digital publishing environment. We share these stories with you, because as publishers, this information can impact the way you present your content and change the way you think about your business.
The recent information brings to light new potential devices, sales and revenues that are all helping to shape the future of digital magazine, e-book and newspaper publishing.
-15.43 million iPads sold in Q4 of 2011. It’s been clear from the start that Apple has the lead in tablet sales. Recently the company announced selling 15.43 million iPads in Q4, which is an increase of 111 percent from Q4 of 2010.
-Millions of Kindles sold in December 2011. A recent press release from Amazon claimed that throughout the month of December 2011 the company sold “millions of Kindles”. According to Good e-Reader, who recently cited tech analyst Jordan Rohan, the estimate of Kindle Fires sold in Q4 is now at six million. The original estimate was five million.
-$290 million in sales. Gannet Co. Inc. released its Q4 data for 2011 this week. This statement included digital sales revenue of $290 million, an increase of 7%. As digital publishing is clearly profitable for the company, they’ve also announced the launch of more digital subscriber initiatives for six new dailies. These additions include paywalls and apps for tablets and smartphones.
-5 digital e-reading devices from Barnes & Noble. It’s been reported by the New York Times that engineers are finishing up a new e-reader for Barnes & Noble.
Since the release of the Nook Tablet in November, Barnes & Noble has sold millions of devices. Shortly after, Amazon put the Kindle Fire into the market, with color and a lower price tag than the Nook Tablet.
It’s worth wondering if the new B&N e-reader will be true competition to the Kindle Fire, or if it will be a completely new device. However the story goes, the fifth e-reading device from Barnes & Noble will likely mean opportunities for consumers and businesses vested in the digital publishing evolution.
-Mobile media spend expected to hit $55 billion. Mobile devices have become so valuable that between content and advertising, the market is expecting a growth on spend of 30%. It’s worth mentioning that mobile media has been the fastest to media to reach $1 billion.
-29% of Americans own at least one digital reading device. Although we already shared this impressive statistic from Pew Internet & American Life Project in our recent “3 Digital Magazine App Pitfalls” article, it’s worth mentioning again in case you missed it. This number made a leap from 18% in December 2011 to 29% in January 2012. It’s clear that digital reading devices are popular gift options for the holiday season. 
When was the last time you saw an industry grow like this? An 11% increase in a month’s time is significant, even if it happens during a holiday season. Considering the predictions for the next few years, more impressive increases are expected to come.
Digital publishing is no longer a dream. Today, legacy publishers have the ability to bring decades of content into the digital environment and sell digital editions to a viable audience. The learning curve is minimal on tablet devices, massive audiences are scooping them up and digital publishers are starting to offer high-quality digital content.
The digital revolution is well underway; something publishers were hoping for.
February 2nd, 2012 at 8:17 am
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