MobileRead Forums - View Single Post - Long term forecast for book reading is not good

Bob Russell · 05-20-2006, 08:09 PM

If we want to see a strong e-book industry, one of the things that is required is an actual interest by books. In other words, we need book readers! But there are so many types of entertainment these days. And the electronic reading thing hasn't really caught on (yet) with the kids. They don't see it much at school either. So how about expectations for general reading in the future?

The Washington Times <free registration required> is reporting that "The publishing industry enjoyed a strong year in 2005, with increases in both revenue and the number of books sold. But projections for long-term growth remain limited because people increasingly don't read, according to a study released yesterday."

There is a three-day booksellers conference going on now in Washington, D.C. and "[t]his year, publishers are putting greater emphasis on how to use the Internet and mobile electronic devices to deliver book content."

The good news is that when booksellers become more focused on new areas of revenue, it will be harder and harder to ignore e-book sales and a customer-friendly approach will become more and more important. At least that's what we are hoping for!

05-20-2006, 08:09 PM	#1
Bob Russell Recovering Gadget Addict Posts: 5,381 Karma: 676161 Join Date: May 2004 Location: Pittsburgh, PA Device: iPad	Long term forecast for book reading is not good If we want to see a strong e-book industry, one of the things that is required is an actual interest by books. In other words, we need book readers! But there are so many types of entertainment these days. And the electronic reading thing hasn't really caught on (yet) with the kids. They don't see it much at school either. So how about expectations for general reading in the future? The Washington Times <free registration required> is reporting that "The publishing industry enjoyed a strong year in 2005, with increases in both revenue and the number of books sold. But projections for long-term growth remain limited because people increasingly don't read, according to a study released yesterday." There is a three-day booksellers conference going on now in Washington, D.C. and "[t]his year, publishers are putting greater emphasis on how to use the Internet and mobile electronic devices to deliver book content." The good news is that when booksellers become more focused on new areas of revenue, it will be harder and harder to ignore e-book sales and a customer-friendly approach will become more and more important. At least that's what we are hoping for!