Quote:
Originally Posted by pdurrant
Ebook sales: $31.9 million, up 261.2%
|
OK, so in theory ebook sales went from ~$12m in January 2008 to $32m in January 2009. In the interim, book sales overall dropped 0.7%, or $6 million, and stores open at least 1 year saw revenues drop by 1.9%.
It's difficult to draw any definitive conclusions though, since book sales will obviously be influenced by numerous factors, including bookstore closures and changes in the broader economic environment.
Quote:
|
Originally Posted by pdurrant
Now, it seems to me that this means that publishers should (1) take ebooks really seriously and (2) stop claiming large losses due to piracy.
|
If we take January to be a typical month, ebooks are still less than 4% of the market in the US, compared to 1.4% last year. It's so small that they don't break down ebook sales by category yet. If ebooks continue to grow by around 2.5% per year, it could take 18 years for ebooks to capture 50% of the market.
While I concur that ebooks are likely to continue to grow (and faster than in 2009): Given all the attention and changes in the industry lately, and keeping in mind its small percentage of revenues, it is slightly ridiculous to suggest that publishers are "not taking ebooks seriously."
Also, while I concur that $3 billion per quarter in losses due to piracy is unlikely, nothing in these specific figures or its methodology has anything to do with piracy. Ergo we can't draw any conclusions about piracy, or its effect on sales, based solely on the AAP's figures.