Redefining how we read books
Jinfo Blog

23rd February 2009

By Penny Crossland

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The launch of Amazon’s new ebook reader, Kindle 2 has been hailed by industry observers as the ‘iPod moment for electronic books’, believing that this updated model will become a ‘must-have gadget for readers, just as the iPod has become indispensable for music listeners. (http://digbig.com/4yhbm). As yet only available in the US - it is predicted to be launched in Europe later this year - Kindle 2’s USP is its ‘text-to-speech facility’, which lets consumers choose whether they want to read or listen to books. The new slim line device holds more than 1,500 books, comes with inbuilt speakers, a 2 GB memory and even has a paper display that looks like real paper (for the tradionalists amongst its users). Ebook readers have been around for several years (http://digbig.com/4yhbp), however this new model combined with the backing of a well-established book etailer such as Amazon is likely to convert more consumers to the advantages of digital books. According to the Daily Telegraph, (http://digbig.com/4yhbm) Kindle 2 has already sold 32% more units than the Apple iPod did in its first year. So, is this the beginning of the end of the hard-copy book? There is no doubt that the book publishing industry is in the doldrums. Industry statistics published by the American Association of Publishers (http://digbig.com/4yhbk) show that book sales in the US are down by 4.4%, while ebook sales grew by 55.7% between 2002 and 2007 and a further 63.8% in 2008. UK readers have not yet embraced the digital book as wholeheartedly as their US counterparts have. According to Nielsen Book, book publishing in the UK increased by 4.4% in 2008 to 120,947 books; however, this is still down on the 2003 figure of 129,762 books. (http://digbig.com/4yhcd). Some authors are becoming aware of how their digital readership: in yesterday’s Observer (http://digbig.com/4yhbh) it was reported that Andy McNab and Kate Pullinger have announced exclusive ebook deals, which will be available via mobile phones and Black Berries. Stephen King too has announced the release of a novella, which will be made available on Kindle 2. Predictably, it is the‘Net Generation’ that is embracing wireless reading. Japanese readers, especially teenagers have responded to the digitalisation of books enthusiastically, with millions devouring mobile phone novels, or mbooks. The older, book-loving generation is likely to be more resistant to ebooks. According to Kate Pullinger, digital novelist and reader in new media at De Montfort University (http://digbig.com/4yhcp), books are not about to disappear, however they are likely to ‘become a bespoke artefact for those who like books’.

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