Who would have thought that? 10 or 5 years ago, book readers were still ridiculed as a dying guild. The eBook was supposed to be on the rise – only I had my doubts.
Even though I have written books and been attached to the paper for almost 3 decades as an author, I know how to use and appreciate the advantages of electronic media (also as a blogger). But when I heard the ravings of the eBook reader and tablet PC owners with regard to eBooks, I always had doubts.
Then it was said: You can put tens of titles on the device and put them in the holiday case. I always have a library with me. You can also combine images and multimedia, that is the future – no one will read printed books in 10 years.
Then I had the thought: Ok, and suddenly the battery is empty and off with reading the library, through the head. Or: Read the eBook on your tablet PC in the sun – have fun. Or: And then someone steals your reader or tablet and the whole library is gone. Furthermore, there was the caveat that the eBooks were bound to a device or a provider. If he discontinued his offer, the stock or access to the online offers was often gone. Not to mention the regulation of the digital estate. Yes, I know I am hopelessly old school – at least in this regard. I just open a book, where the donkey's ear is, and start reading. So without starting a tablet or checking if the battery is charged. Reads well in the sun … and makes, when it is in the closet, powerful something.
Creative chaos in the author’s office with many of his own works – created in the last 30 years
New figures from the United States and England
Just (April 27, 2017) I came across the latest figures from the book market at CNN USA. The following applies to the USA: They set the trend, we in Germany or Europe are always lagging behind. And what do the numbers say?
- In the U.S., ebook sales in the first 9 months of 2016, according to the Association of American Publishers, are up 18.7 percent. % broke in. Printed books, on the other hand, were able to grow by 7.5 in the same period. % increase.
- In the UK, ebook sales fell by as much as 17 in 2016, according to the Publishers Association. %. Printed books and magazines could be printed at 7 o'clock in the same period. % Children's books increase by as much as 16 % literally ‘stormed’ upwards.
Sales of eBook readers fell by more than 40 between 2011 and 2016 % (Source: Consumer researcher at Euromonitor International) – things are suddenly no longer sexy. Many people even consciously reduce the use of smartphones, tablet PCs and readers and turn to print. 65 % The American has read a printed book in the past year, while only 28 % I used an ebook. The era of ebook readers probably had its peak in 2011 and is now declining year after year.
CNN already asks whether printed books are ‘the new vinyl’. An allusion to the fact that records are experiencing a rebirth and that electronic music offerings sometimes run out of rank. It's almost a cult of vinyl records. If you love printed books and libraries, you will probably feel it. It seems as if the printed book is not yet dead, but rather experiencing a rebirth. Or how do you see it?