Just like how the digital format revolutionized the way we consumed our music, many had assumed the same would be applied to e-books. After all with e-books, all users needed was a single device like an e-reader, tablet, or smartphone, and they could bring their entire library of books with them wherever they went.
However it would seem that maybe e-books aren’t really taking as well as they should. According to a report from the New York Times, it has been revealed by the Association of American Publishers that e-book sales has actually declined by as much as 10% in the first five months of 2015.
Prior to this, e-books accounted for about 20% of the market, a number which they have maintained over the past few years. In fact if anything, the recent closure of Oyster which was dubbed the Netflix for e-books seems to be indicative of the industry at the moment. Interestingly enough, print books are still going on strong.
According to Oren Teicher, chief executive of the American Booksellers Association, “The fact that the digital side of the business has leveled off has worked to our advantage. It’s resulted in a far healthier independent bookstore market today than we have had in a long time.”
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