Amazon’s ebook business is gaining pace on hardcover sales every day and now have been reported to be three times that of hardcover sales. Amazon sells about 43% more ebooks than hardcovers, but Amazon says that doesn’t mean hardcovers are going away. Hardcovers are merely just selling at a slower rate.
Over the period between mid-June and mid-July, Kindle books sales have been up 80% over hardcover sales. And those numbers include free public domain books like titles from Mark Twain and Tolstoy. There is no reason, right now, to think that ebooks are taking over the world, even though the numbers are quite high. Ebooks are still a very small portion of publishing. Even though the sale of ebooks has gone up over 200% compared to last year, hardcover books have also been on the rise, but only about 40% higher than last year.
The Kindle is a new device, just like any other device you can carry around and read any number of books that you want, but that’s just it, it’s a new device. Many people run out to buy the newest device, but there are plenty of old fashioned folks that like to curl up on the porch in the summer with their favorite hardcover book.
These numbers are just that, numbers. Even though they are real, they really don’t point to any significant information on the future of how books are purchased, read or published. Take them as you see fit, but make sure you take them with a grain of salt.
