When the concept of ebooks first surfaced, it seemed like the natural progression of things and it also felt like maybe physical printed books were doomed to go the way of the dinosaur. After all ebooks tend to be cheaper, more accessible, more convenient, not to mention green since it doesn’t require paper or inks to be made.Unfortunately it doesn’t really seem that way, or maybe we’re not quite there yet because according to a report from The Guardian, it seems the ebook sales in the UK have dropped. The report claims that consumer ebooks have seen a decline in sales of 17% last year, making it the lowest level in ebook sales since 2011.
According to Stephen Lotinga, chief executive of the Publishers Association, he blames it on screen fatigue. Lotinga was quoted as saying, “I wouldn’t say that the ebook dream is over but people are clearly making decisions on when they want to spend time with their screens. There is generally a sense that people are now getting screen tiredness, or fatigue, from so many devices being used, watched or looked at in their week. [Printed] books provide an opportunity to step away from that.”
Interestingly enough, some are saying that the rise in larger smartphone displays could be the reason why ebook sales are on the decline. Apparently the larger displays led to ereaders such as the Kindle losing its popularity, but then consumers found out that reading ebooks on smartphone displays or tablets isn’t as conducive to reading and have turned to printed books as a result.
Filed in . Read more about Ebooks.