Why aren't e-books more popular?
The predicted demise of print as we know it appears premature, especially when it comes to the joys of a good old-fashioned book.
The predicted demise of print as we know it appears premature, especially when it comes to the joys of a good old-fashioned book.
The obituary for the printed book has been written many times since the advent of electronic books – titles that can be read on a dedicated device such as a Kindle, a tablet such as an iPad, a laptop, or even a phone.
Former small business minister Nick Sherry wasn't alone when he said in 2011 that by 2016 bookshops would be all but wiped out because e-book sales would reach a tipping point.
"I think in five years, other than a few specialty bookshops in capital cities, you will not see a bookstore. They will cease to exist," Sherry said.
Yet Australians are still buying printed books – and local booksellers have recorded increased printed book sales during the past two years, according to Nielsen BookScan. Figures have dipped since five years ago, but the 2014 sales of A$937 million were up on the A$918 million from 2013.
With e-books, fiction sells better than non-fiction, but even in that category less than one-half of sales are in e-book form. Works by popular authors such as US crime writer Michael Connelly, American Jodi Picoult or Australian women's fiction author Kate Morton can generate one-quarter to one-third of their sales in e-book form, according to Allen & Unwin, which publishes those authors.
Non-fiction sells even less in e-book form, though books that have a strong narrative, such as a popular biography, may sell at a similar level to fiction.
It's a long way from the obliteration of print as we know it, and raises the question of why with all that e-books have to offer, they have not proven more popular.
John D'Ambra, an associate professor in the school of information systems, technology and management at UNSW Business School, has been researching what readers like about e-books.
According to D'Ambra, the main reason people read e-books is for convenience, not necessarily because they find the reading experience more enjoyable or more practical.
Read the full story on the Business Think website.