Source:Digital Book World Report 2017
How often do we hear it said that digital publishing is just not taking off? eBooks are dying before they've really begun and young people are adamant that they prefer the feel of a paper book in their hands in preference to digital.
Whilst some of this feedback is real experience, it's necesssary to look at the statistics from a range of sources to realise the reports being presented on a regular basis only tell part of the whole story. As the articles below show, ebook sales statistics are usually taken from data presented by the Big 5 Publishers. The huge rise in digital publishing, on the other hand, is the Indie and self-published market whose figures are not included in mainstream publishers data.
So, rather than being an ebook vs print book debate, like television vs radio, we are finding there is a place for both formats, plus audiobooks which is another story again! Articles that tell a different story:
From AuthorEarnings.com - February 2017 Big, Bad, Wide & International Report: covering Amazon, Apple, B&N, and Kobo ebook sales in the US, UK, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand
From TheConversation.com - Has the print book trumped digital? Beware of glib conclusions by Nick Earls
From Fortune.com - No, e-books sales are not falling, despite what publishers say by Mathew Ingram