E-Book Popularity Continues to See Huge Increases; Readers Win

Mark Sutherland

Yesterday, Reuters ran a story about the ongoing changes in the book publishing industry, which I discovered thanks to the Drudge Report. As a small publisher, I can echo the radical changes we are all seeing.

The report covered a survey that showed e-books doubled in popularity in 2011. Using data from more than 2,000 publishers, net sales of e-books jumped to 15% of the market, as opposed to 6% in 2010. And when you look at just adult fiction, that total jumps to 30% in 2011, up from 13% in 2010.

Also detailed was that online sales represented 13% of total net dollars, which was an increase of 35% over 2010.

If I look at the trends in my company, Dunrobin Publishing, this is only the beginning.

When I launched Dunrobin Publishing in 2011, we saw about 30-40% of our net sales in the e-book format. Also, our online retailers accounted for about 50% of our net sales. These figures have only increased in the past 18 months. Today, more than 50% of our net sales are in the e-book format and the online retailers, especially Amazon, provide most of our business.

Bottom line. The industry is still changing. Brick-and-mortar stores are gradually disappearing. E-books are a sustainable option, especially when publishers like Dunrobin Publishing price their e-books at $2.99 each, versus how some of the larger publishing houses are trying to charge anywhere from $8-15 for their e-books.

This new model is the best thing that could happen to readers. More books, at lower prices, in easily accessible, mobile platforms. The reader benefits. The stuck-in-the-past publisher does not.

I’ll stand with the reader.