Amazon’s Kindle driving ebook sales, but not revolutionizing industry

Apr 03 2008

The Amazon Kindle might not revolutionize the world of ebooks, but it certainly isn’t hurting ebooks either. According to an article I came across during my hours of web surfing today, the popular Kindle has increased awareness of ebooks and even increased ebook sales. But now the real question remains: To what extent?

Publishing officials are reluctant to discuss sales figures, but say that they have seen double digit increases in e-book sales since the Kindle’s release, including renewed interest in downloads on the Sony Reader.

Of course, Amazon still refuses to release sales figures for the Kindle device itself, which I think is a big mistake on their part. Then again, maybe it’s all part of the Kindle’s mystique.

I will confess that I have only seen pictures and video of the Kindle, but have never actually held the device in my own two grubby little hands. So I really hate to pass judgment, good or bad, on something I have never tried. I already own a Sony Reader and love it. Yes, it does have some flaws – the biggest being an incredibly poor battery life, despite what Sony advertises.

Ebooks themselves, however, are definitely growing in popularity. And while the Kindle has played into that growth, it certainly can’t take all the glory. For one thing, people are realizing that they are already reading enormous amounts of digital content in the form of blogs, news feeds, email, social networking and the list goes on. So reading digital content, especially for the younger generation (I feel old just saying that), is nothing new. Thus, reading an entire novel on the Kindle or another device is no different than reading a series of blog posts (for example).

I remember in early 2000 I bought a little CD-ROM that had something like 1000 classic novels, short stories, plays and poems on it that I could read right on my laptop. I thought it was amazing! I don’t think I read an entire novel from that CD-ROM, but it definitely started my interest in combining digital technology and literature. Of course, since then, ebook sales have really taken off:

E-books undeniably are growing. According to the International Digital Publishing Forum, sales have risen steadily over the past six years, from around $6 million in 2002 to around $33 million in 2007.

I think this is just a sign of things to come. Once people realize how convenient ebooks are, and how more efficient they are to produce and distribute than traditional print books, then sales will really start to fly. For lack of a better term, I’m jumping on the ebook bandwagon early.

Read the entire Yahoo! article here:
Kindle helps tiny ebook market

What about you? Do you read ebooks? And if you own a Kindle, please let us know your impressions/thoughts about it (good or bad).

P.S. Wanna win a $30 Amazon gift card? All you gotta do is leave a comment for this, or any other post written this month (April ‘08), and you’re automatically eligible to win! Be sure to read the rules so you don’t miss your chance.

4 Responses

I recently went to Amazon.com and they had a big notice stating that they were sold out of Kindles and there was a waiting list. They must be doing o.k. in terms of sales.
As for me, I don’t have an e-book reader. I would like to get an iPhone eventually and use it for that purpose. Otherwise, I’m sticking with the paper versions for now. I do read a lot online though, and I have read several entire novels at my computer.

Melissa Donovan 4/4/2008 3:37 pm
I’m willing to try reading a novel on a Kindle, but it’s discouraging to see that it’s out of stock everytime I visit Amazon.com.

Sharon B. 4/5/2008 9:04 pm
I don’t have an e-book reader because I don’t really like reading electronic books. I prefer a book!

Jess 4/29/2008 10:38 am
I bought an EBook called Hedge Fund Trading Secrets Revealed…direct from the publisher at http://www.pristinepublishing.com I had to print 300 pages..maybe I should get a kindle

milt 10/13/2008 2:19 am