E-books outsell hardbacks on Amazon in US

The article on telegraph.co.uk doesn’t give sales figures but states that e-book downloads have overtaken hardback sales in the US.

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And this means what? I ask because those who are enthusiastic about self-publishing through venues like Smashwords point to articles like this to validate their choices. But this fact by itself is meaningless; I would like to know the percentage of commercially published vs. self-published/"indie" ebooks that were downloaded. I'd also like to know the average price.

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I would like to know the percentage of commercially published vs. self-published/"indie" ebooks that were downloaded

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This report addresses hard-cover sales only, not paperbacks. And it does not separate self-published ebooks from those uploaded by publishers.

The average price might be somewhat misleading, depending on what point you wish to make. Royalties are typically 40% of retail sale price. Self-published ebooks typically range from $.99 to about ten bucks.

Those uploaded by publishers are significantly more expensive, and ebook royalties go to the publisher who then pays authors based on their agreements with respect to digital rights. Sometimes that's zero. Be aware of that next time you negotiate a publishing contract.

We are at the tip of an iceberg, to use a confusing metaphor. There is a lot of resistance to a successful e-book industry, both by dead tree publishers and by others who resent seeing it coming. But I see it as an irresistable force. It's like a drum solo or premature ejaculation. You know it's coming, and there's nothing you can do about it.

Premature ejaculation! There are zealots as well as luddites when it comes to e-books. Al sees them as an irresistible force which makes him a zealot in my eyes. They already account for a share of the market and this will grow. My e-book sales account for close to 10% of all my book sales. Income wise they account for less than 1%. Downloading for free or cents the classics and out of copyright titles is a wonderful opportunity. Travelling with all your research material in your palm is another. I guess we will have to wait a bit longer for the full story.

LC I agree it is far from clear what it means. Here is what Catherine Neilan of the Bookseller says:
“UK publishers are snapping at the heels of those in the US for e-book sales, with the UK's largest house revealing the digital format accounts for around 8% of front list sales by volume.
Earlier this week, Amazon.com revealed that paid-for e-books had outsold hardbacks on a unit basis by nearly 150 for every 100 for the three months to the end of June. In June alone, this grew to 180.
Value figures were not revealed and, given the e-tailer's aggressive pricing strategy, these would no doubt tell a different story. It is also unclear whether the e-book figures include international sales, although hardback sales are US only. However, the news was heralded by founder and chief executive Jeff Bezos as proof of the format having reached "the tipping point".
Although UK publishers were somewhat sceptical of using that term, a number noted the growth of sales had pushed e-books towards a point of real significance.”
You will find her full report here [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

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However, the news was heralded by founder and chief executive Jeff Bezos as proof of the format having reached "the tipping point".

Of course Bezos is going to "herald" this "news," since what he's really "heralding" is his Kindle. Bezos wants to sell the world his expensive e-reader and force publishers to provide cheap/free content for it. That's what "dead tree" publishers really resent, not the medium itself.

mike bryon wrote:

There are zealots as well as luddites when it comes to e-books. Al sees them as an irresistible force which makes him a zealot in my eyes.

I'm not exactly zealous about it. But I'm not in denial about it, either.

Coming generations will relegate printed books to a pile that includes phongraph records, video tapes, stereopticans, and Polaroid film cameras. Only we old farts will hang onto obsolete media. Then we'll die.

LC wrote:

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However, the news was heralded by founder and chief executive Jeff Bezos as proof of the format having reached "the tipping point".

Of course Bezos is going to "herald" this "news," since what he's really "heralding" is his Kindle. Bezos wants to sell the world his expensive e-reader and force publishers to provide cheap/free content for it. That's what "dead tree" publishers really resent, not the medium itself.

They resent the potential loss of revenue represented by the medium. And they see it coming, even if others do not. Some dead tree publishers choose to ignore it, hoping it will go away. Others are looking to it as an opportunity. They are the ones with vision. Technology myopia can send creative people into an early retirement.

Superior, superior, superior...Most ebooks are not. But than half the people can't read anyway.

Once again in the Bookseller more from Amazon.com who are reported to estimate that they has 70-80% of the e-book market, and that 80% of its e-book sales are to people with Kindle devices.

Some of the comments posted below the article raise the question that surly they should know if it is in fact 70% or 80%? Is it volume or value, world sales or US? Does it include free downloads? In other words it is more meaningless hype intended to talk up the e-book.

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A friend of mine taught a college statistics class that was always full. His basic premise was, "Statistics lie." He challenged students to create statistical premises from real facts that told bold-faced lies. He called it the "best truth" to support your own desires.

Over my many years of justifying grant performance for new funding, I taught my staff members to always tell the "best truth." I learned from my teaching friend how to prioritize the elements of a statistical analysis and adjust them: definition, inclusion, exclusion, whatever it took to get a positive results that could be supported by facts, sometimes almost any facts you can muster.

Therefore, I am always a cynic when it comes to stats of any nature. Just by redefining the sample, the end result changes. I graduated in the top 10% of my graduating class. That was quite an accomplishment. If there were 100 students, nine students would have shared that honor. In reality, there were 600 in my graduating class; 60 students shared that honor. If I were in the class of 100, the stats would serve me better to say I was one of the top ten students in my graduating class. In the class of 600, it's more impressive to say I was in the top 10%.

Many of my author colleagues claim to be "award-winning authors." The award they won came from a nondescript web site where friends and family and whoever else you coerce votes for your book as many times as they can locate a computer or have additional email addresses. Nevertheless, they are "award-winning authors." I thought I had a chance at a best cover award, but just didn't muster enough friends and family to vote.

In reality, ebooks are here to stay. I have my doubts about singular focus ereaders. They need to make their hay while the sun shines - and therefore, the urgency to present ebooks as the book of the present and future. It may be - but more likely read on a multi-use platform. I have proposed that they give away the ereaders with bundled ebooks. It hasn't happened yet...

Statistics: I got a speeding ticket and had to take an evening class of driving school. During the class, the teacher told us that "Forty percent of fatal automobile accidents are caused by drivers who have been drinking." He stood proudly while this impressive statistical fact sunk in.

I held up my hand and asked, "Doesn't that mean that sixty percent of fatal automobile accidents are caused by sober people?"

He quickly moved on to the next topic.

I believe ebooks are here to stay. I also believe the USA in not going to be a big market for good works.

Statistics don't lie, they're just numbers and data. People misread, misinterpret and manipulate them, though. Al's "Doesn't that mean that sixty percent of fatal automobile accidents are caused by sober people?" question is an example of putting on a slant, a spin, to support the false assertion that statistics lie.

Actually, it was a false dichotomy. No, that statistic doesn't mean that 60% of fatal accidents are caused by sober people. It means that 60% may be caused by distracted people, upset people, sleepy people, poor drivers, inexperienced drivers, bad weather, or road obstructions. Lumping them all together as "sober" is disingenous. The teacher's point obviously was that drunkeness commands a larger slice than any of those other reasons.

And back to the topic, saying that e-books are the fastest growing segment is misleading out of context, because the newest technology will always be the "fastest growing."

If I was made to go on an evening class I might be a bit more than disingenuous.

Well, the anecdote was light-hearted and the comment made the rest of the class laugh (even if some folks do take it seriously), but in the same class, the teacher said, "[Most] automobile accidents occur within 25 miles of your house" ("Most" being a long since forgotten percentage).

He was trying to prove that the closer to home we are, the more careless and the less safe we are. But the statistic is misleading. It proves nothing unless one considers what percent of the average person's driving is done within that radius. Add that to the equation and you probably arrive at a much different conclusion.

That's an example of how we misuse statistics to promote an agenda. Figures lie and liars figure. We see it every day now in political ads and commentary.

In the case of book sales statistics, they do indeed indicate a trend. The discussions that dismiss them indicate resistance to the trend.

Whether the trend will persist is unknown. But the idea in such reportings is to have the trend itself influence human behavior so that the trend becomes a self-fulfilling prophesy. If that happens, resisting authors either come around or are left behind.

Don't mistake fads for trends. And vice versa. The number of e-book readers being sold is a significant statistical factor. Ignore it if you will. It's better to prepare for it. Or for retirement and the rocking chair.

The naysayers said rock and roll wouldn't last. They said the automobile was a passing fancy. They said television would never replace radio. And so on...

Al.

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