Okay, maybe this post title is a little misleading. Ebook sales slowed down in November 2011, but overall were still on their way up. This is according to the Association of American Publishers.

Here’s an article posted by EContent:

The Association of American Publishers (AAP) released statistics that show ebook growth slowed somewhat in November, although it is still high overall. Ebooks are still up 65.9% over Nov. 2010. In the same November-to-November window, trade sales were down 3.5%. Slower growth could be due to a pre-holiday sales lull, as consumers waited for new e-reader devices to come to market.

It’s interesting to note that the slight decrease in ebook sales might have been due to customers waiting for new eReaders to hit the market. With the pace of eReaders and tablet computers hitting the market though, one shouldn’t have to wait very long. Hopefully when we see the ebook sales numbers for the beginning of 2012, they’ll have skyrocketed again.

There’s no shortage of authors who hate ebooks. Today, it’s Jonathan Franzen. It’s ironic that as much as he hates ebooks, all of his novels are available in digital format on Amazon, for $9.99 each.

I’m not shy about saying that I love Franzen’s work. The Corrections is a great novel and I encourage everyone to read it.

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If you’re a parent with a toddler or older, you know that a tablet can be a lifesaver when it comes to keeping your kid occupied. There’s nothing easier than sitting your kid on the couch, handing them your Kindle Fire and letting them play with it for several hours while you take a much-deserved nap. That’s just good parenting.

However, a tablet like the Kindle Fire is tied to your Amazon account, which is also tied to your credit card. It’s important to child-proof your Kindle Fire before handing it over to your kid’s grubby little hands. This means preventing him/her from watching your NC-17 movies and keeping your kid away from the dark side of the internet.

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When I’m right, I’m right. In a previous post Why You Shouldn’t Get Too Excited About Apple’s iBooks 2 Textbooks, I argued that e-textbooks won’t catch on anytime soon because not everyone has an iPad, and the high price will be prohibitive for many students to buy one.

This is especially true for poorer school districts. Even if Apple has a iPad lending program, or discounts for school, you’re still trusting high school students with a very expensive device.

In college, you can’t teach a class with some students using an e-textbook and other students using a print textbook. It just won’t work. You can, however, give every student an iPad by adding the cost to an already high tuition bill. Overall though, I don’t think e-textbooks will catch on soon. There are too many barriers to overcome first.

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This past holiday season saw the sales of eReaders and tablets “soar,” according to the New York Times. I remember many Christmases where big-screen televisions were the big seller, and even talking stuffed animals for kids sent parents into a buying frenzy (who can forget the loveable Teddy Ruxpin?). Times have changed.

But is the popularity of these devices really that surprising? I say no. Ebooks have entered into mainstream culture and ebook sales increase by the month. Further, there are more choices in tablet computers that can act as an ebook reader and give the some of the same functionality as a laptop.

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NOTE: Check out my follow-up to this post: E-Textbooks In iBooks 2 Won’t Catch On Anytime Soon

Now that Apple has released iBooks 2, which is enhanced for e-textbooks, everyone is excited about how this new feature will revolutionize learning. My advice: Don’t get too excited, at least, not yet.

Yes, the new iBooks 2 is very impressive. I’ll give it that. But there’s a huge difference between being “impressive” and being “practical” in the real world.

How dare I question Apple’s innovation! Just hear me out. I’m predicting e-textbooks aren’t going to catch on anytime soon. Here’s why.

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Apple introduced iBooks 2 for iPad today that adds a new e-textbAfter ook feature that will allow students to interact with the material, not just read it.

These electronic textbooks are enhanced for graphics, videos, interactive features, students notes, highlights and anything else you can think of to make a boring subject like chemistry tolerable.

I found a cool video on engadget that demonstrates all the features mentioned above. Take a look for yourself:

I recently gave a quick overview of SOPA and PIPA, the two bills in the House and Senate, respectively. The legislation can kill the internet as we know it by letting anyone bring down an entire website by claiming copyright infringement. Even worse, there is no due process. A website can be taken down with no recourse.

The consequences of SOPA/PIPA far outweigh any benefit. Actually, there is no benefit. The result will only be unintended consequences that will make the problems both bills seek to remedy even worse.

Here’s a rundown of the unintended consequences:

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Also See: 3 Unintended Consequences of SOPA/PIPA

The current SOPA/PIPA legislation slithering through Congress is probably one of the most dangerous pieces of legislation we’ve seen in recent history. Both bills threaten free speech in America and can ruin the internet as we know it.

SOPA/PIPA will also be job killers. A lot of the commerce, innovation and business revolves around the internet. If SOPA/PIPA is passed, it will become all but impossible for this growth to continue. In fact, many prominent venture capitalists have said they will stop investing in online start-ups if this legislation passes.

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One thing that still annoys me about ebooks is the lack of quality control. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve been reading an ebook, only to find that there is a page missing, a duplicate page, bad formatting, duplicate paragraphs, or other obvious errors.

This begs the question: Where is ebook quality control?

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