The Future of eBooks

http://www.pwc.com/

Publishers, Internet bookstores, and companies that manufacture eReaders
have high expectations for the digital future of the book industry. A new
generation of eReaders may, at last, achieve the long-awaited breakthrough
that lures consumers away from paper and ink. In the United States, Amazon has revolutionized the market by producing an eReader that is easy to use and making it easy for customers to purchase a wide variety of books at competitive prices.

While some people herald the advent of digital reader technology as an opportunity to open new target markets and create customers, others mourn the end of traditional books and doubt the industry will be able to retain control over pricing and content.

Today, it seems eBooks and eReaders provide more questions than answers for the book industry:

• Will the industry face the same issues that music publishers did during its
digital transformation several years ago – primarily digital piracy and a loss
of revenue as customers discovered new methods of acquiring content and
adopted new listening habits?

• Who will purchase eReaders? Will they be designed to appeal to a broad
group of customers or only to those who have a high degree of comfort
with technology? Will people who read once in a while want to buy an eReader, or will they only be purchased by the small group of customers who buy and read a high volume of books?

• Will publishers be able to use eBooks and eReaders to extend the market
for books in general, creating a wider udience?

• Will publishers ever move to an all digital model and abandon printed
books?

• Is the media responsible for much of the hype we are now hearing about
eBooks and eReaders?

Thus begins a major piece or research carried out by Price Waterhouse Coopers.
This research is complemented by more than 40 interviews with experts and senior executives of reader manufacturers, a wide range of publishers, dealers, online and traditional book shops, and libraries in Germany.

The survey considers the importance of eBooks and asks about their
market potential, drivers, obstacles for the future market development, and possible income models and marketing structures.

The survey focuses on the international market for eBooks and eReaders,
particularly with regard to mass market books in the United States, United
Kingdom, the Netherlands, and Germany.
It also focuses on opportunities for digital distribution of newspapers and magazines through tablets, such as the Apple iPad.

Link to PWC here to read the research results.