Find out why your books and publications need to be online
It’s growing. The presence of digital books is sweeping across the internet and no one could stop it if they wanted to. Technology has allowed for the expansion, as a number of companies are jumping into the market with their own product designs.
For those who aren’t quite sure, an eReader is a portable reading device that can deliver books, magazines, newspapers, email newsletters and blogs directly to you. The devices range in size, some being only a little bigger than seven inches. The actual text is either downloaded from your computer or received digitally through a wireless internet connection. This functionality characteristic varies between models.
Our upcoming Kindle for Publishers webinar on January 12th, 2010 at 12:30 EST will teach everything you need to know about eReaders including trends and predictions in the industry, the differences between models and which software apps are right for your digital products.
The Emerging Online Landscape
Why do books and publications need to be online? Well, that’s where the audience and the marketplace is. Sure, people still go to bookstores from time to time, but with the emergence of eReaders it would not be surprising to see those numbers decline. Especially since having an eReader makes anywhere a bookstore at any time.
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Plus, according to Kelly Gallagher of Business Intelligence, 54% of buyers find out about books online.
If you have ever searched the internet for a book on a specific topic, you must know how easy it is to get results. It is also less time-consuming and less intimidating than fumbling through the enormous stacks found at many popular bookstores.
Furthermore, some online destinations such as Amazon.com have user-generated reviews in addition to reviews from their own contributers. If you are indecisive with book selections, often times the critiques are enough to sway the wavering mind.
In accordance, it was also noted by Mr. Gallagher that 67% of readers look for book reviews online. With endless internet resources out there for curious minds, it’s not surprising so many people resort to the web for book reviews and suggested reads.
Lastly, it’s easier for readers interested in specific eBooks to seek out publishers online. Through email or blog comments, a dialogue can begin between the consumer and publisher. What better way to know what eBooks your audience is looking for? The publisher can then add the name to the email marketing lists for future correspondence. Don’t you want to be a publisher that has an open-dialogue with your consumers?
With the holiday season approaching, don’t be surprised to see the sale of eReaders go up. In fact, Amazon has it’s Kindle gracing their home page and describing it as the “#1 Bestselling, #1 Most Wished For, and #1 Most Gifted Product on Amazon.”
Now is the time to become acquainted with the world of eReaders. Which, for publishers, may become 2010’s big blockbuster.
Hi Sean,
While the program does focus its case studies on the Kindle (since it is the most popular platform, and most widely used), we do compare it with other eReaders such as Sony, Nook and the hypothetical upcoming Apple tablet.
We compare the features, formats publishers have to consider (and the future of the open source ePub format, which Kindle doesn’t accept yet) and yes remit rates as you mentioned.
Hope that answers your questions. 🙂
I hope the session explores business models for all e-book platforms and isn’t just focused exclusively on the Kindle, which is a closed system with onerous terms for publishers–how do you feel about being on the short end of a 70%-30% split with Amazon?