Publishers label 2011 as the “year of the e-book”
An explosion in demand for electronic books is being predicted by publishers this year as so called ‘silver surfers’ ditch the familiar paperbacks in favour of iPads and Kindles.
Research conducted by Silver Poll reveals that far from their technophobic caricature the over 55 demographic is actually leading the way on e-book’s with 6% of the age bracket owning an e-book of some description.
The most popular device amongst this group was Amazon’s Kindle, used by 47% of owners, whilst 31% of people plumped for Apple’s iPad 14% elected for the Sony reader.
Publishers have noticed a feed through from this growing clout with Nigel Newton, chief executive of Bloomsbury, going so far as to say this will be “the year of the e-book.”
This trend is seen in the growing proportion of titles being made available as e-books, up from 10% in 2008 to 60% today, alongside a corresponding growth particularly in the US where as much as 15% of all book sales are of the electronic variety.
The rise in digital compendiums is said to be having a beneficial impact on reading habits as readers spend more time engrossed in a tome during their free time simply because their digital libraries are more accessible than a dusty bookshelf.
Publishers have noticed a particular uptick in novels which would ordinarily be considered embarrassing, such as Mills & Boon and erotica. The absence of a front cover saving any red faces on the tube.