While many have argued the negatives of digital e-books on children’s publishing and literacy skills, I disagree. Despite personally preferring print books, I believe there are many advantages to digital forms of publishing, especially for the younger generation, such as;
- The technology manages to ‘cater to unique learning styles (and even some disabilities)’ [Young, 2013] such as dyslexia, broadening the market and helping children gain confidence in reading
- Increasing the enjoyment of reading for children, thus correlating with book sales
- 73.7% of parents believe it’s important for their child to grasp technology to progress in school [Formby, 2014] – and this will benefit them later in life as they grow with the rapidly digitalising world
- Can enthuse unwilling readers as e-books have the ‘biggest impact on reluctant readers, particularly boys’ [Manning, 2013]
- And then of course (to corroborate the “lazy” stereotype) there’s no added effort of turning the pages or having to find your page when you place your book down
THE PUBLISHING FEAR:
It is true that digital, especially e-books, are negatively affecting publishers, but depending on which chain of the publishing process you’re evaluating, e-books are also contributing positively.
One of the many debates in publishing is the survival of the bookshop, and e-books are certainly a major factor in its collapse. The percentage of books bought from chain bookstores has decreased from 30% in 2009 to 23% in 2013 whereas those bought through e-tailers has increased from 12% in 2009 to (overtake bookstores at) 25% in 2013 [Milliot, 2014], and these statistics are likely to continue their correlations with the prominence of digital technology. This suggests not the death of the book per se, but the death of the bookseller.
However this could be seen as a good thing for publishers, who can discard the need for intermediaries and discounts, increasing revenue for publishing companies and royalty rates for their authors. This digital technique of selling directly to customers through company websites (proven successful by Harper Collins UK and Pan Macmillan imprints [Farrington, 2013]) creates a greater, personal relationship between publishers and their market.
Whilst research has shown some – mostly children’s – preference leaning towards e-books, that does not impose on all audience’s and is not enough to halt print sales entirely, especially now with customers paying higher prices for e-books [Henry, 2014]. Children’s e-book sales have risen from 7.6% in 2010 to 14.8% in 2014 [Clark, 2014], but print paperback is still outselling digital in the first half of 2014 with 42% over 23% of fiction sales [Milliot, 2014].
People can argue against digital publishing techniques, but that won’t change the facts. 40% of teens already own an E-reader and with technology ‘experiencing extraordinary and accelerating change’ [Rochester, 2011] that number is likely to increase; publisher’s must use this platform to adapt their methods to give their customers the products they want – in the style, and on the devices they want.
Word Count: 493
Bibliography:
Clark, C., 2014. The Reading Lives of 8 to 11-year-olds 2005 – 2013, literacytrust, [online]. Available at: http://www.literacytrust.org.uk/assets/0002/3683/STC-Reading_8_to_11.pdf
Farrington, J., 2013. Harper-Collins Goes Direct-To-Consumer for Global E-book Sales, bookseller, [online] 30 October. Available at: http://www.thebookseller.com/news/harpercollins-goes-direct-consumer-global-e-book-sales
Formby, Dr S., 2014. Parent’s Perspectives: Children’s Use of technology in the Early Years, literacytrust, [online] March. Available at: http://www.literacytrust.org.uk/assets/0002/1140/Early_years_parent_report.pdf
Henry, J., 2014. Frankfurt Book Fair 2014: Nielsen: E-book Growth Continues in U.S. and U.K., publishersweekly, [online] 3 October. Available at: http://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/international/Frankfurt-Book-Fair/article/64256-frankfurt-book-fair-2014-nielsen-e-books-growth-continues-in-u-s-and-u-k.html
Manning, C., 2013. Young People and Literacy Have Changed Their Relationship to ‘It’s Complicated’, literacytrust, [online] 16 January. Available at: http://www.literacytrust.org.uk/blog/5177_young_people_and_literacy_have_changed_their_relationship_status_to_it_s_complicated
Milliot, J., 2014. Children’s Books: A Shifting Market, publishersweekly, [online] 24 February. Available at: http://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/childrens/childrens-industry-news/article/61167-children-s-books-a-shifting-market
Milliot, J., 2014. E-books Still Outsold By Hardcover and Paperback, publishersweekly, [online] 26 Septemeber. Available at: http://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/industry-news/bookselling/article/64170-e-books-remain-third.html
Rochester, S., 2011. Storytime Goes Digital: Assessing the Children’s E-book and App Market, publishingperspectives, [online] 29 March. Available at: http://publishingperspectives.com/2011/03/childrens-ebook-app-market-toc-bologna/
Young, M., 2013. How Are E-readers Affecting Our Children, TeleRead, [online] 30 June. Available at:
http://www.teleread.com/ereaders/ereaders-affecting-children/
- The technology manages to ‘cater to unique learning styles (and even some disabilities)’ [Young, 2013] such as dyslexia, broadening the market and helping children gain confidence in reading
- Increasing the enjoyment of reading for children, thus correlating with book sales
- 73.7% of parents believe it’s important for their child to grasp technology to progress in school [Formby, 2014] – and this will benefit them later in life as they grow with the rapidly digitalising world
- Can enthuse unwilling readers as e-books have the ‘biggest impact on reluctant readers, particularly boys’ [Manning, 2013]
- And then of course (to corroborate the “lazy” stereotype) there’s no added effort of turning the pages or having to find your page when you place your book down
THE PUBLISHING FEAR:
It is true that digital, especially e-books, are negatively affecting publishers, but depending on which chain of the publishing process you’re evaluating, e-books are also contributing positively.
One of the many debates in publishing is the survival of the bookshop, and e-books are certainly a major factor in its collapse. The percentage of books bought from chain bookstores has decreased from 30% in 2009 to 23% in 2013 whereas those bought through e-tailers has increased from 12% in 2009 to (overtake bookstores at) 25% in 2013 [Milliot, 2014], and these statistics are likely to continue their correlations with the prominence of digital technology. This suggests not the death of the book per se, but the death of the bookseller.
However this could be seen as a good thing for publishers, who can discard the need for intermediaries and discounts, increasing revenue for publishing companies and royalty rates for their authors. This digital technique of selling directly to customers through company websites (proven successful by Harper Collins UK and Pan Macmillan imprints [Farrington, 2013]) creates a greater, personal relationship between publishers and their market.
Whilst research has shown some – mostly children’s – preference leaning towards e-books, that does not impose on all audience’s and is not enough to halt print sales entirely, especially now with customers paying higher prices for e-books [Henry, 2014]. Children’s e-book sales have risen from 7.6% in 2010 to 14.8% in 2014 [Clark, 2014], but print paperback is still outselling digital in the first half of 2014 with 42% over 23% of fiction sales [Milliot, 2014].
People can argue against digital publishing techniques, but that won’t change the facts. 40% of teens already own an E-reader and with technology ‘experiencing extraordinary and accelerating change’ [Rochester, 2011] that number is likely to increase; publisher’s must use this platform to adapt their methods to give their customers the products they want – in the style, and on the devices they want.
Word Count: 493
Bibliography:
Clark, C., 2014. The Reading Lives of 8 to 11-year-olds 2005 – 2013, literacytrust, [online]. Available at: http://www.literacytrust.org.uk/assets/0002/3683/STC-Reading_8_to_11.pdf
Farrington, J., 2013. Harper-Collins Goes Direct-To-Consumer for Global E-book Sales, bookseller, [online] 30 October. Available at: http://www.thebookseller.com/news/harpercollins-goes-direct-consumer-global-e-book-sales
Formby, Dr S., 2014. Parent’s Perspectives: Children’s Use of technology in the Early Years, literacytrust, [online] March. Available at: http://www.literacytrust.org.uk/assets/0002/1140/Early_years_parent_report.pdf
Henry, J., 2014. Frankfurt Book Fair 2014: Nielsen: E-book Growth Continues in U.S. and U.K., publishersweekly, [online] 3 October. Available at: http://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/international/Frankfurt-Book-Fair/article/64256-frankfurt-book-fair-2014-nielsen-e-books-growth-continues-in-u-s-and-u-k.html
Manning, C., 2013. Young People and Literacy Have Changed Their Relationship to ‘It’s Complicated’, literacytrust, [online] 16 January. Available at: http://www.literacytrust.org.uk/blog/5177_young_people_and_literacy_have_changed_their_relationship_status_to_it_s_complicated
Milliot, J., 2014. Children’s Books: A Shifting Market, publishersweekly, [online] 24 February. Available at: http://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/childrens/childrens-industry-news/article/61167-children-s-books-a-shifting-market
Milliot, J., 2014. E-books Still Outsold By Hardcover and Paperback, publishersweekly, [online] 26 Septemeber. Available at: http://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/industry-news/bookselling/article/64170-e-books-remain-third.html
Rochester, S., 2011. Storytime Goes Digital: Assessing the Children’s E-book and App Market, publishingperspectives, [online] 29 March. Available at: http://publishingperspectives.com/2011/03/childrens-ebook-app-market-toc-bologna/
Young, M., 2013. How Are E-readers Affecting Our Children, TeleRead, [online] 30 June. Available at:
http://www.teleread.com/ereaders/ereaders-affecting-children/