Lots of people got Kindles and Nooks and e-readers over Christmas this year. These lucky people also apparently decided it was too snowy to go out shopping between Christmas and New Year’s, because instead they stayed home and purchased record numbers of e-books.
According to USA Today, the top 6 bestsellers sold more e-books than print books, and 19 of the top 50 also sold more e-books. After more than a decade of hype and failure, it looks like e-books have finally got off the ground, and this time it’s not just better readers but more and cheaper content that has made the difference.
It’s time for traditional publishers to wake up and remember that they’re publishers, not printers. Stop fighting to keep to the old delivery system and just move on with the new one.
