For the past several months I have been staying current with all the information written about the surge of digital reader sales and the popularity of e-books and I always assumed these stats were related to a demographic somewhat similar to my own. Granted, I am not a techie but I am a book lover and I have thoroughly enjoyed my iPad as a way to take all of my current reads with me wherever I go. But, alas, it is not all about me or people like me.
I am happy to see the e-reader phenomenon has spanned multiple generations. I recently saw this article in the NY Times about the surge of e-books purchases by teens. As reported from Harper Collins, "e-books made up 25 percent of all young-adult sales in January, up from about 6 percent a year before." This jump was attributed to cheaper price tags for e-readers which made them more accessible and a great holiday gift.
This makes perfect sense as the wave of young adult fiction continues to be translated to the movie screen. Imagine the delight in carrying around a Harry Potter book and a vampire series in your backpack? One teenager in the NY Times article confessed that since she received her e-reader during the holidays she went a whole two weeks without watching TV. Can you imagine!? Reading over reality TV? I could cry.
As encouraging as this teenage trend is, I was also excited to read a great piece about how seniors are using e-readers to access library books in Canada at a growth rate of 162 percent over last year. I know my mother loves her e-reader so that she can change the size of the font and doesn't have to look for large print books anymore. I admit I enjoy the font flexibility myself!
In addition, if a senior is unable to get to the library to pick out or return a book because of weather issues or caring for themselves or their spouse, e-readers are a convenient way to go. Not all libraries have an extensive selection but it appears the trend is moving in that direction. So what will publishers do to fill this demand and still make a profit? Time will tell how they respond. In the meantime that's all great news for book lovers.
Arielle Ford has launched the careers of many NY Times bestselling authors including Deepak Chopra, Jack Canfield, Mark Victor Hansen, Neale Donald Walsch & Debbie Ford.