E-Books Aren't Killing Print

 2/12/2015 @ 9:47AM  Forbes Natalie Robehmed  Forbes Staff

WHEN AMAZON launched the Kindle in 2007, book purists bemoaned the imminent demise of print. Yet far from heralding a publishing apocalypse, e-books have been adopted only gradually despite their affordability. Although half of U.S. adults own a tablet or e-reader, e-books make up only an estimated 23% of the $35 billion industry–and Pew Research reports that just 4% of Americans are e-book only.

Sales show digital market share differs greatly by genre, though: While guilty readers of dog-eared Harlequin romances have flocked to the format– Nielsen notes 36% of units sold in that genre in 2014 were e-books–most nonfiction and school textbooks are still purchased in print, per PwC research. 

To read the rests and see the graphs

5 Takeaways from Nielsen BookScan: (Effects of EBooks)

The Learning Curve  By Ellen Harvey   Posted on February 10, 2015

Back in January, at the Digital Book World Conference Nielsen Book president Jonathan Nowell , shared the results of the annual Nielsen BookScan. Nowell packed a ton of information into the 20-minute presentation, tracking how the print market has changed in the U.S. since ebooks rose to prominence. Although print sales have been negatively impacted, ebooks have actually boosted overall book sales. And some genres are doing better in print than they ever have before.

For those who have yet to dive into the report, or like me were blinded by the sheer number of graphs in Nowell's presentation, here are some of the most important takeaways.

(Rest of the Article)

The Most Anticipated Books of Spring 2015

Culled from the 14,000+ titles in PW's Spring Announcements issue (on newsstands now and available in full here), we asked our reviews editors to pick the most notable books publishing in Spring 2015. Links to reviews are included when available.
God Help the Child by Toni Morrison (Knopf, Apr.) - In Morrison's wrenching novel, which received a starred review from PW, a mother learns about the damage adults do to children and the choices children make as they grow up to suppress, express, or overcome their shame.
The Buried Giant by Kazuo Ishiguro (Knopf, Mar.) - Set in Arthurian England, Ishiguro's first novel since Never Let Me Go follows an elderly, ailing couple making a journey to their son's village.
to see more check out the article on Publishers Weekly

The 21st Century’s 12 greatest novels

What are the greatest novels of the opening years of this tumultuous century? In search of a collective critical assessment, BBC Culture contributor Jane Ciabattari polled several dozen book critics, including Parul Sehgal (New York Times Book Review), Lev Grossman (Time), Tom Beer (Newsday), Jessa Crispin (Bookslut), C. Max Magee (The Millions), Donna Seaman (Booklist), Laurie Muchnick (Kirkus Reviews), and many more. Each named their picks for the best novels published in English since January 1, 2000. They named 156 novels in all, and based on the votes, these are the top 12....

BBC Culture, Jan. 19

See the article and the reviews

12 Good Books You Must Read in 2015!

by Andrea Bates
I love reading. Pretty much any time I can squeeze in with a good book is time I’ll do so – happily. So when the opportunity came up for me to write a list of good books you absolutely must read in 2015, I jumped at it.

Because reading and me? Perfect together. Some of these books I’ve read. Some I haven’t. But I plan to read them all. You should, too.

If you are new to making reading goals, don’t let the idea of 12 good books overwhelm you. You don’t have to read all of these at once, think of this list as one book to read each month.(And note: This post includes affiliate links!)

1. THE LAST TIME WE SAY GOODBYE BY CYNTHIA HAND

Hand is a NY Times bestselling author whose story of love, loss and mystery looks to be a book we’re all going to want to read this year. Popular for her young adult books, this novelappears to be breaking her out of that demographic. I, for one, plan on checking it out

(For the rest of the article click here)

DBW Panel : Can Publishers Take Advantage of Reader Data?

One of the long touted facets of the shift to digital reading is that it enables publishers and platform providers to glean data about their customers' reading habits. But with the data now flowing in, are publishers ready to put it to use?

“The owners of e-book platforms now have unprecedented and previously unattainable knowledge about how people read,” noted CCC’s Chris Kenneally, who moderated a closing Digital Book World panel on reading data. “They see every time an e-book is opened; on what device it is opened; how fast it is read; whether passages or entire works are re-read, and perhaps most dismaying for authors which books are never cracked, or never finished." So what have we learned so far?

For one, more than half of all digital readers read on more than one device, noted Jared Friedman, cofounder and CTO of subscription service Scribd, and 10% of Scribd users read on three devices or more in any given month. “As people become more familiar with e-books and e-book reading services, [reading] is permeating their digital lifestyle,” Friedman said.

David Burleigh, director of marketing and communication, OverDrive, Inc., which facilitates library e-book lending, agreed. “We’re seeing about 40% of users reading on more than one device,” he noted.    (To Read the Rest)