saw this article on ebooks and hardbacks sales

[Janette55]

I don't know this is of interest to anyone, but on my home web page I saw a title of ebooks sales higher than hardback, checked it out, curiousity.

Not the NYT, but interesting note on ebooks sales over mpp and hb.


http://www.wfmz.com/entertainment/27232162/detail.html

[RainingLemur]

With the greater variety of dedicated ebook readers and devices capable of reading ebooks (android phones, iPhones, etc) it makes perfect sense that ebook sales have grown so much, and will continue to grow as these devices make it into more and more hands. Good read.

[neilmarr]

What they nastilly call the 'fading eyesight' of Boomers (I'm in my sixties) in no way greatly impacts ebook sales. Our age group are the greatest readers -- and we're going digital. And so are my children and grandchildren (whose vision is 20-20). Neil

[Kali Yuga]

Originally Posted by neilmarr

What they nastilly call the 'fading eyesight' of Boomers (I'm in my sixties) in no way greatly impacts ebook sales.

Uh... It's kind of a fact that as people get older, their senses tend to decline. Including vision.

The publishers know this, and as recently as last year the large print end of the biz was reacting to the changing demographics ( http://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/b...g-picture.html ).

Nothing about this suggests that the 60+ group isn't reading. Rather, that group may find ebooks easier to read, as it gives them much more control over font size and other aspects of readability -- i.e. another incentive for older readers to switch to ebooks.

[Janette55]

Well, as a babyboomer, I am 55, I can say truthfully that size of font was a deciding factor for me. I am having trouble reading the fonts of some mpb. I had been considering one, but as I had been straining to read some of my favorite authors and then a shoulder injury that made it hard to hold a book, the ereader won out.

I do agree with you that our age group are advid readers, my children's generation seemed to see books as a punishment. My daughter loves to read but my son doesn't. My grandchildren, fortunately, love to read and have asked for books as gifts.

I really enjoy my ereader, especially that I can enlarge the font as needed. But you are right in that they are stereotyping the "babyboomers" as having poor eyesight.

[MartinC]

Quote from the article...

Reidy said e-books were around 8 to 9 percent of the general trade market at the end of 2010 and she expects them to reach 12 to 15 percent of the market this year.

Something we should remember, perhaps? Most books are still made of paper.

[mr ploppy]

Originally Posted by Janette55

Well, as a babyboomer, I am 55, I can say truthfully that size of font was a deciding factor for me. I am having trouble reading the fonts of some mpb. I had been considering one, but as I had been straining to read some of my favorite authors and then a shoulder injury that made it hard to hold a book, the ereader won out.

Maybe I'm missing something, but when realbook fonts start to get too small for me I just get my eyes tested and get some new spex that make it bigger. Big fonts on a small ebook reader screen look awful.

[elcreative]

Doesn't quite work that way if you're short in one and long in the other with astigmatism for both... even new specs don't always make small print clear enough to read clearly but better font and font size can make reading a lot more comfortable especially when reading for several hours... it's one of the reasons that large print books sell, there are lots of eye conditions that larger print makes reading more comfortable...

Originally Posted by mr ploppy

Maybe I'm missing something, but when realbook fonts start to get too small for me I just get my eyes tested and get some new spex that make it bigger. Big fonts on a small ebook reader screen look awful.

[kennyc]

Thanks for that!

[Kali Yuga]

Originally Posted by Janette55

...you are right in that they are stereotyping the "babyboomers" as having poor eyesight.

Here's the line from the initial article:

"Hardcovers sales fell from $55.4 million to $49.1 million, and mass market paperbacks, a format that's declining as baby boomers seek books with larger print, fell from $56.4 million to $39 million." (emphasis added)

That's your idea of "stereotyping?" Seriously?

[dwig]

Originally Posted by Kali Yuga

Here's the line from the initial article:

"Hardcovers sales fell from $55.4 million to $49.1 million, and mass market paperbacks, a format that's declining as baby boomers seek books with larger print, fell from $56.4 million to $39 million." (emphasis added)

That's your idea of "stereotyping?" Seriously?

Whether its stereotyping or not, its smacks of bad science. Their claim of the reason for the greater decline in mpb, compared to hb, is an unsupported guess. It could easily be, and I think this is much more likely, that the unbalanced decline in mpb is because ebook sales are eating away at the mpb market much more than the hb market.

Those that resist ebooks because of the "pleasure of the book" also don't like the poor typography (narrow margins, overly long lines, dense typesetting in terms of both letter spacing and line spacing, low quality paper, ...) that is so common in mpb and less often in trade paperbacks (e.g. the extremely horrid "Boneshaker" by Cherie Priest with its cream paper and nearly invisible brown text - ugh). Those that read for the words ignoring the presentation (e.g. mpb readers) are much more likely to accept ebooks with their generally better presentation.

[cfrizz]

+1000 on this!

Like it or not, with increasing age comes declining faculties including eyesight. When I was reading books, if I had a choice between the small paperback & the larger paperback I went with the larger one. Then because of space limitations, I stopped even getting those and turned to reading fan fiction on my pc as word documents that I would have set up as Arial size 12 which is comfortable for me to read. Now with my ereader, I'm back to buying & reading novels that I have wanted to have for years and can now read comfortably on my reader.

Originally Posted by elcreative

Doesn't quite work that way if you're short in one and long in the other with astigmatism for both... even new specs don't always make small print clear enough to read clearly but better font and font size can make reading a lot more comfortable especially when reading for several hours... it's one of the reasons that large print books sell, there are lots of eye conditions that larger print makes reading more comfortable...

[kennyc]

Originally Posted by cfrizz

+1000 on this!

Like it or not, with increasing age comes declining faculties including eyesight. When I was reading books, if I had a choice between the small paperback & the larger paperback I went with the larger one. Then because of space limitations, I stopped even getting those and turned to reading fan fiction on my pc as word documents that I would have set up as Arial size 12 which is comfortable for me to read. Now with my ereader, I'm back to buying & reading novels that I have wanted to have for years and can now read comfortably on my reader.

Whaaaaaa??????

[Janette55]

Originally Posted by Kali Yuga

Here's the line from the initial article:

"Hardcovers sales fell from $55.4 million to $49.1 million, and mass market paperbacks, a format that's declining as baby boomers seek books with larger print, fell from $56.4 million to $39 million." (emphasis added)

That's your idea of "stereotyping?" Seriously?

To me it when you make the assumption that a certain group of individuals (in this case babybomers) seek books with large print. Thus, they will have poor eyesight. Yes, as we age many of our facalities, eyesight, hearing and such will decline. More some for others due to many factors; health, genetics, lifestyle and more.
But to make the assumption that all babyboomers are turning to ereaders due to problems with reading DTB, that is a stereotype. Many turn to ereaders for convience, for space and the list goes on.

By not adding the words of some, various, many or another word, it is stating all. That is stereotyping.

That is done every day; we all stereotype without thinking about it and much is harmful - but not all is nor is it meant to be insulting.
So, yes I think she was stereotyping, but it was not to be meant in a negative manner, just stating what many see as a fact, without checking to see if that assumption is correct.

[Janette55]

Originally Posted by mr ploppy

Maybe I'm missing something, but when realbook fonts start to get too small for me I just get my eyes tested and get some new spex that make it bigger. Big fonts on a small ebook reader screen look awful.

And that may work for you, but I have a stigmatism, so that requires more expensive glasses. If I wanted to get a new pair every year, that would have to be out of pocket. Insurance will pay only every two years. And then only a set amount.
Last glasses I bought cost around $250. Out of pocket would be close to $400. For $300 I bought an ereader and can increase the size of font from what some books probably have at 8 to 12 or even more.
I have two books that I can't read right now due to the font size. So, if I want to read those two books I have to buy them for my ereader. Trade size or HB are a good size font for me to read. But not that many books are sold in trade size or in HB and that takes up more space that is limited already.

As for the look of the font, even at it largest, XXL, there is no fuzziness. It is as clear as if it was on the lowest setting.