E-book sales down

[fjtorres]

Originally Posted by JSWolf

Even if sales of dedicated Readers decline, lots of people read eBooks on a tablet or smartphone.

Shhh!
Don't shatter their hopes!
Let dreamers dream.

[Froide]

Originally Posted by JSWolf

Even if sales of dedicated Readers decline, lots of people read eBooks on a tablet or smartphone.

Or desktop/laptop computer.

[LovesMacs]

Really, instead of e-book vs. p-book, publishers should be more concerned about new vs. used.

[GA Russell]

About half the gifts I give throughout the year are paper books. Thank you camels!

[disconnected]

Also from the article

It is also possible that a growing number of people are still buying and reading e-books, just not from traditional publishers. The declining e-book sales reported by publishers do not account for the millions of readers who have migrated to cheap and plentiful self-published e-books, which often cost less than a dollar.

[ryuji35]

Well, I don't think e-books will go out either. Most of my books in my Kindle are from self-published authors so there's still a market for e-books and as long as there is, I don't think businessmen will not capitalize on that one.

[Josieb1]

As long as any article only deals with the main old traditional publishers the data will be incorrect. I buy hundreds of ebooks a year, far more than I can possibly read and only a handful of paperbacks. I don't buy anything from a traditional publisher, all my purchases, ebook and paper are by self published authors or by small indie publishers.

[FacebookVirus]

Still have many ebooks to read on my PW2, Sony and smartphone.

Maybe the trend is real, maybe not. But with Amazon continuing to lock down their ereaders, as well as increased prices to the point they're comparable to traditional books I've largely gone back to paper.

The fact that that also involves a move from Amazon - no local presence for me - to Barnes and Noble - best bookstore in the area - is an added benefit.

[kennyc]

Originally Posted by Josieb1

As long as any article only deals with the main old traditional publishers the data will be incorrect. I buy hundreds of ebooks a year, far more than I can possibly read and only a handful of paperbacks. I don't buy anything from a traditional publisher, all my purchases, ebook and paper are by self published authors or by small indie publishers.

How do you ever expect to become part of the swarm if you don't read, purchase, and consume what they tell you too?

[fjtorres]

Originally Posted by FacebookVirus

... increased prices to the point they're comparable to traditional books I've largely gone back to paper.

You do understand that those increased prices are the publishers' doing, not Amazon, right?

And that by buying print instead of digital you are doing exactly what they want, right? Because their thesis is you will buy their books no matter what they do to you. That they can use you to fight their silly war against Amazon and ebooks and Indies. Because they want to go back to the old days, when they could raise prices over and over (even breaking the law to do so) and everybody had to take it because there was no alternative.

It's not going to happen, of course.
But in the meantime, by trying they *are* messing up the finances and lives and careers of the authors they are supposed to be promoting.

[Cinisajoy]

Originally Posted by fjtorres

You do understand that those increased prices are the publishers' doing, not Amazon, right?

And that by buying print instead of digital you are doing exactly what they want, right? Because their thesis is you will buy their books no matter what they do to you. That they can use you to fight their silly war against Amazon and ebooks and Indies. Because they want to go back to the old days, when they could raise prices over and over (even breaking the law to do so) and everybody had to take it because there was no alternative.

It's not going to happen, of course.
But in the meantime, by trying they *are* messing up the finances and lives and careers of the authors they are supposed to be promoting.

Whatever are you talking about?
I thought "price set by the publisher" meant Amazon set the price.
Yes those exact words are on every ebook by the BPHs.

[fjtorres]

Originally Posted by Cinisajoy

Whatever are you talking about?
I thought "price set by the publisher" meant Amazon set the price.
Yes those exact words are on every ebook by the BPHs.

Yeah, but they're tiny.
They need to say it in 72 point flashing billboard style text.
Plus a TTS voiceover for the vision impaired.

[DuckieTigger]

Originally Posted by Cinisajoy

Whatever are you talking about?
I thought "price set by the publisher" meant Amazon set the price.
Yes those exact words are on every ebook by the BPHs.

For the BPH books, the publisher is the BPH (Doh! ), so Amazon has nothing to do with setting the price if it says "set by publisher."

[fjtorres]

Originally Posted by DuckieTigger

For the BPH books, the publisher is the BPH (Doh! ), so Amazon has nothing to do with setting the price if it says "set by publisher."

The thing is, since the vast majority of products sold at retail have the price set by the retailer, people's first reaction is always to attribute price hikes to the retailer. Which is why Amazon is comfortable with public catfights and flags the overpriced BPH products to minimize the fallout.

Of course, minimizing is never 100% effective.
So Amazon takes flack.

It is no different than when tradpubbed authors, used to being featured prominently on bookstore front tables, blame amazon for only promoting/discounting "their own" titles, totally ignoring that their publisher doesn't let Amazon discount their ebooks or that Amazon doesn't control Indie titles.

[FacebookVirus]

Originally Posted by fjtorres

You do understand that those increased prices are the publishers' doing, not Amazon, right?

And that by buying print instead of digital you are doing exactly what they want, right? Because their thesis is you will buy their books no matter what they do to you. That they can use you to fight their silly war against Amazon and ebooks and Indies. Because they want to go back to the old days, when they could raise prices over and over (even breaking the law to do so) and everybody had to take it because there was no alternative.

It's not going to happen, of course.
But in the meantime, by trying they *are* messing up the finances and lives and careers of the authors they are supposed to be promoting.

I don't care what they want. I care what works for me, which is print books, public domain and independent authors' works on my ereader.