Once considered niche products and dismissed as a passing fad, tablet devices lead by the omnipresent iPad and dedicated e-book readers such as Amazon’s widely popular Kindle are affecting traditional book publishing, says a survey by research firm ISH iSupply.
Book revenue for US publishers, including both e-books and paper books, will decrease at a compound annual growth rate of three percent from 2010 to 2014. This marks a shift from the previous period of 2005 to 2010, when revenue grew slightly. Total book revenues will fall to $22.7 billion in 2014, down from $25 billion in 2010.
The decline in paper book printing, distribution and sales will be “frightening” for print die-hards, says iSuppli analyst Steve Mather. He compared this disruption to a similar turmoil the music and movie businesses had gone through amid the rise of digital content stores such as iTunes and Amazon. At the epicenter of this change is, once again, Apple… [read]
