Blogger: Mary Keeley
I try to keep up with publishing trends in order to advise clients knowledgeably and report new developments to all of you. For some time news updates have been sobering. But we won’t rehash. Today is a day for optimism. And I hope my optimism is contagious for you.
The week began with more of the same. One more small publishing house closed its doors and yet another imprint was sold, 
presumably in the publisher’s effort to use the profit to stay afloat. It looked like a continuation of the stream of discouraging reports—until I read two posts in the last two days. I have to admit I’m surprised at the level to which my spirits soared after pondering these encouraging news items. What propelled my optimism is that these items were from two different sources yet, side by side, they paint a hopeful picture. I was doing the happy dance in my office (which no one will ever observe, by the way).
The first piece was a quick report Maryann Yin wrote for Galleycat on Mediabistro.com about Amazon’s plans to open two pop-up stores in California. A pop-up store usually is a simple kiosk, which is open for a temporary period of time. Amazon’s San Francisco location in a high-end mall may open by the end of this month.
Maryann provided the link to an informative Geekwire column by Tricia Duryee, who referred to a Wall Street Journal report that Amazon intends to open a third pop-up in Manhattan as well. Tricia’s article quotes Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos’ spokeswoman explaining they’re opening these kiosks “in time for the holidays so that customers can try out our new devices,” and “While customers can already see our products online and at retailers like Best Buy and Staples, we wanted to provide another option to try out our full line-up leading into the holidays.” Read Tricia’s entire column here.
Very telling. Can you see the reason my optimism perked up? Tricia concluded, “While Amazon gets a lot of credit for dominating e-commerce sales, the store openings show that it can’t ignore that a vast majority of retail revenues today still occur in the offline world.” The fact that this publishing giant is testing physical locations means Amazon acknowledges that a major portion of book buyers continue to prefer browsing, touching, and selecting books and devices from brick and mortar stores.
The second piece I read was by Dennis Abrams in Publishing Perspectives in which he reported the latest Nielsen Books & Consumer statistics for unit sales during the first six months of 2014:
- Ebooks = 23%
- Hardcover books = 25%
- Paperback books = 42%
Sales of either one of the print versions outnumber the ebook share of sales. Combined, they account for almost three times the percentage of ebook sales. Ebook sales continue to rise but at a significantly slower rate. Read the complete column here.
These two articles side-by-side point in a promising direction. Don’t misunderstand; I’m a fan of ebooks. I read ebooks and ebook sales revenue has kept CBA publishers’ doors open following the economic downturn in 2007. We love ebooks, but their meteoric rise in popularity a few years ago has not dictated the demise of print books or brick & mortar bookstores, as many in the industry predicted. This is worth celebrating. It isn’t only good news for print books but for the industry as a whole. Let’s hope for a gradual increase in the number of brick & mortar stores again too.
I read somewhere (sorry, I can’t remember the source) that post-Millennial (“Posts,” “Homelanders,” “Gen-Z,” “Yawn”) generation readers prefer print books, and I’ve wondered how true that statement is. If you are, or have children who are, late teenage to mid-twenties, what is your observation?
I hope today’s optimism is contagious. How has this information encouraged you?
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Great news, Mary! I still love to browse brick and mortar stores, and I’m blessed enough to have one in my small town. My son is 18 and my daughter is 20. They read a lot, and they read primarily print books. My daughter reads online fan-fiction, but those are the only e-stories she reads that I know. It’s interesting they are putting the kiosks into the market at the holidays. There are always lots of wrapped books under our Christmas tree, I can’t imagine how empty that would look if I purchased all those gifts as e-books.
Anne, that’s two for two post-millennials out of the gate who favor print books. Do you know why they prefer them to ebooks?
Thanks for sharing the good news. I live close to a college, and I’ve noticed a lot of the students would rather read “real” books than e-books. Not sure why they do, but it makes me happy.
Have a great day.
Interesting, Jackie. That’s a whole lot more arrows pointing toward a preference for print books among post-millennials.
It’s wonderful news, and it goes beyond books.
I think we’re seeing an aspect of “wherever two or more of you are gathered in My name, there I am in the midst of them” in action.
A bookstore is a little bit like the edge of the Grand Canyon; we can open and hold books that give us a view to infinity, and that potential is both enhanced and braced when it’s shared, and allowed to grow, in the presence of others.
Browsing books online is more of a TV experience; you can’t hold the totality of the author’s heart in your hands when you browse. You can only look where you’re directed by Look Inside, and you can’t, even if you with it, see to the end.
I think we need this; the unfettered view, and especially the implicitly shared experience. We can’t find Christ in a mirror.
Andrew, the online bookstores try to do a good job of providing some means of browsing a book–at least the first chapter or two. But your point is well-taken that browsing a book online lacks the connectivity with the author’s “heart.” Ebooks are an important and valuable contribution to the publishing industry, but to underscore your point…not to the extinction of print books and brick & mortar stores and the value they also provide.
I saw that first article as well, Mary, and I’m joining you in the happy dance! More bookstores? Can’t find any negative in that.
My oldest daughter is about to turn 15, so she’s not quite in that age range you mentioned. But she definitely prefers print books. Last summer, she won a $100 Wal-Mart gift card in the library summer reading program. She still hasn’t spent it. Some of her dilemma is whether or not to buy a kindle. She admits the advantage of having multiple books in one device (she’s usually reading three to five at one time), but she likes the feel and smell of the print book. We travel quite a bit, so she’ll probably end up with the kindle, but it has been, and continues to be, an agonizing decision for her.
Meghan, I’m glad that article was encouraging to you as well. an e-reader definitely is more convenient for travel. That’s when I use mine too. The nice thing is she still can pick up print books on sale or check them out of the library and have the best of both worlds.
Mary, this is wonderful news! I love a dose of happy!
Our son has a Nook, but he prefers print books and always has. As a teacher, he uses a lot of technology in his classroom to expose the kids to the best of both worlds. Our 16 yo daughter likes Ebooks. And me? Well, I still prefer print, too. And an e-reader just doesn’t have the same “smell” as print. 🙂
Cynthia, it’s good to hear your teacher son intentionally exposes his students to both worlds, meaning print as well as the school standard technology. Your daughter represents the first ebook preference of the day…but it’s still early.
Mary, very encouraging. My girls are 16 and 14. They prefer print books. They much prefer to hold a book over holding their Kindle. Usually the only time they buy books for their Kindle is when someone gives them a Kindle gift card. We live outside a smaller city near Dallas. It takes thirty minutes just to get into the smaller city. We don’t have big book stores there. We only have a Half Price Books … but you would think it was the best place on earth. They beg to go there … and always walk out with one or two books.
Shelli, it’s interesting that your girls, who were born slightly after post-millennials, also prefer print books.
My oldest said, “I love a real book. To hold it in my hands makes it leap off the pages. I feel like I’m in the book. My Kindle makes me feel like I’m watching TV, a movie, not the same.” -16 year old
My three kids (16, 19, and 22) don’t read e-books – even college textbooks (granted, the price of e-textbooks is the same as print – and you can’t sell them back!). When I ask why not, they just shrug. They don’t see the point.
It may be because they spend a lot of time on their computers all day, and reading is an escape – not just the traditional reading escape, but an escape from the screen as well.
And I’m thrilled about brick & mortar bookstores. There’s nothing more wonderful than browsing…
Sarah, I’ve heard that about e-textbooks too. Mystifying. You may have identified the motivation for print preference among that age group: a relaxing escape from techno and electronic screens.
That is good news, Mary. I felt the same excitement last month when I read of a new 1,419-square-foot full-service bookstore opening in Chicago. Their emphasis on children’s books seemed strange at first, but then I realized it was the young who need this more than most of us if we have any hope of saving the brick-and-mortar industry.
My kids have always been surrounded by books and although they all have eReaders now, they still prefer printed copies. Nineteen-year-old Nick purposely left his eReader at home before heading out to his 2nd yr of Bible College. He put it this way… the eReader encourages him to sit back and read and then he neglects his studies. But if he doesn’t have it and then has time to read, he can buy/borrow a print book and let it go when he’s done.
Nick’s perspective is interesting, Anita. One of the benefits–and temptations–of eReaders is the ease of tapping a button to find a book without having to get up from your chair.
I’m sensing the need to clarify that Amazon is opening the kiosks specifically to sell their devices (not print books) to the offline market because they recognize there continues to be significant revenue there. That’s where the encouragement is in Tricia Duryee’s article. People still favor hands-on purchasing.
Thanks for the good news. My four children range from 20-30. They all read books and so do their spouses. No e-readers in any family. I thought perhaps ours were the exception, rather than the rule, because of the book-heavy family they grew up in. However, one daughter-in-law’s parents don’t read much but she reads print books regularly.
Betsy, thanks for your input. Your millennial to post-millennial children are among the norm, judging by the feedback today, which also provides insight to the Nielsen statistics.
It sounded to me like the Amazon “pop-up” is merely a kiosk intended to sell the Kindle, not a book store. Did I misunderstand that?
Stephanie, you are correct. The purpose of Amazon’s pop-up stores is to sell their devices. I added that note of clarification above. The encouragement for us is that Amazon’s action acknowledges there is significant revenue from people who desire to purchase hands-on (offline).
Good afternoon, Mary. My oldest daughter (age 10) is becoming a big reader, and she loves print books. She doesn’t have an Ereader, so I don’t know if her preference will change, but I’m hoping as she gets older, she’ll remember how she fell in love with reading in paperback form, and stick with them. For me, I usually download free books on my Kindle, but when purchasing a story, it’s almost always paperback. I do this, because I usually only purchase tried and true authors, ones I know I’ll want to share with friends and family.
Gabrielle, yes, it will be interesting to see what the trend is when your children are late teens/early twenties. We’ll likely have a whole new world of devices to choose from by then. You make a good point that readers purchase print versions of their favorite authors’ books so they can share with others.
Optimism – the doctrine or belief that everything is beautiful, including what is ugly.
For me; “There are no weeds in the world, only plants you don’t know the names of.”
donnie, what a lovely perspective.
This is such encouraging news!
To answer your question, I have never seen either of my sons (almost 24 and 12) or any of their cousins (ranging from 9-18) read an eBook. Some of my younger son’s friends have Kindle Fires and Nooks, but they are avid readers to grab up books in any form. My oldest son loved to read when we were still living in the same house, and he always bought print books.
Our local Barnes & Noble is very popular, especially on rainy days. It’s comforting to know that even Amazon acknowledges the value of a real bookstore.
Jeanette, your sons and nephews are in line with the trend sample in today’s blog comments. Instinctively, we knew we wouldn’t see a complete demise of print books a few years ago, but the younger, tech-savvy generations’ apparent favor of print books provides another reason for optimism.
Each of my four children prefer print over e-books. And they take very good care of them. Which is good, because a good book is a lifetime investment.
My daughter (almost 16) definitely prefers print books. She has a Kindle, but the only thing she uses it for is to read classics that she can download for free. She also has e-textbooks for a few classes.
I asked her why she prefers print books. She said, “For some reason, they just feel so much more real. If I’m going to spend money on a book, I want to be able to hold in my hand.” I totally agree!
Thanks, Mary, for an encouraging post. 🙂
My 21-year-old son always buys print fantasy adventure. He usually buys the latest by his favorite authors as soon as they are released. My 19-year-old daughter buys at least 85% print if not more. They both love going into bookstores. They were very unhappy with Borders closing. They also prefer hardcopy college texts. I believe the observation that their generation likes print.
Thanks! I needed that boost.
I’ve rejected getting a Kindle or e-reader because I love print books and love the library. I think I’m finally caving though because I’m on a tight budget and so many books can be downloaded for free or checked out from the library system. However, I will buy print versions from my favorite authors and still make great use of my library!
I have three daughters (ages 19, 18, 13) and all of them love to read. When they were younger my wife and I would read to them a bedtime story, or two, every night so they learned early on that reading was a good thing. To this day they read before going to bed. Sometimes for 30 minutes, sometimes for an hour and sometimes, like last week, they read for two or three hours. I also read a lot, sometimes two or three hours a day myself.
Our reading styles are different, however, and therein lies part of the answer. My daughters predominantly do an “all at once” type of reading where they will sit down and read for extended periods of time. One book. From start to finish. I, on the other hand, usually have more than one book on the go at a time. I currently have a fiction book, a book on writing a novel in 30 days (NaNoWriMo is coming up), a book on outlining novel and a long research paper to push through. This is normal for me, having multiple things on the go at once. For me it makes sense to go digital as I only need to carry one device – my iPad – and I have access to all of the books in one small package. My daughters? Well, because they only read one book at a time they prefer the printed page as they feel more involved in the story. And, to be honest, if I am going to read a novel for an extended period of time I buy the paperback version myself.
I think that the style of reading has a big factor in whether or not you prefer digital or paper.