EBook Dominance

The great folks at Pew Research have just released an amazing report detailing the rise of ebook dominance in the way people consume content. The report is incredibly detailed and chock full of very useful data. Among the key points raised in the report are the following:

1. 4x as many people are reading ebooks as were two years ago.
2. People who read ebooks are reading MORE (24 ebooks read versus 15 for non ebook readers on average)
3. People who read ebooks prefer to BUY rather than borrow.

The report also has a number of fascinating survey questions that clearly show that ebooks are going to dominate the landscape very soon. Including a nice bar graph that asked which type of book (ebook or printed) is better for the following purposes:

1. Reading with a child: 81% prefer printed versus 9% prefer ebooks
2. Sharing books with others: 69% – printed / 25% – ebook
3. Reading books in bed: 43% – printed / 45% – ebooks
4. Having a wide selection to choose from: 35% – printed / 53% – ebooks
5. Reading while traveling or commuting: 19% – printed / 73% – ebooks
6. Being able to get a book quickly: 13% – printed / 83% – ebooks

So aside from the first two questions, ebooks are the preferred method. And I expect that as lending ebooks becomes easier and publishers realize the silliness of DRM, that question will also see a swing toward digital over print. As newer tablets come on the market, making illustrating ebooks easier than ever, you can bet the percentages for question one will also swap.

There’s a whole host of data in the report, which you can download as a .pdf file by clicking above or right here. For anyone who writes or publishes, the report is mandatory reading. And it’s well worth taking the time to do so. Please share this post with others you feel would enjoy reading about this great new report! Thanks!