History in the Making: Kindle eBooks Now Outselling All Books on Amazon
In a press release out today, Amazon announced that Kindle edition ebooks are now out-selling all other book formats on Amazon.com. For every 100 printed books sold on Amazon, they’re selling 105 ebooks.
In July 2010, ebooks began outselling hardcover books on Amazon. Soon after, Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos predicted that ebooks would outsell all books on Amazon by the end of 2011–but that prediction came true much sooner than expected. Amazon also said the company has sold 3 times more ebooks thus far in 2011, compared to the same time last year. Yowza!
As a Kindle owner myself, I can understand the spike in sales. I’m able to read more books faster with my Kindle. Because it’s so convenient, I find myself toting it around everywhere. I also buy ebooks more often because it’s so darn easy! If I come across a title I know I want to read, I go ahead and make the purchase–even if I know I won’t get to it for awhile. It’s the digital equivalent of the stack of books on the nightstand, but these are much easier to acquire and collect! I bet I have more than two dozen unread titles loaded up an ready to go.
This is a fascinating time to be in the publishing world. While many publishers are resisting the digital progression, though I embrace what’s happening. Print books aren’t going away completely, we’re just shifting how we buy them. And quite frankly, ebook sales can lead to print book sales. If I love a book I read on my Kindle, I’m often inclined to purchase its print edition to keep on my shelves at home.