The consensus among publishers seems to be that the Kindle hasn’t revolutionized the e-book market, but it has energized it. When it first came out, it sold out quickly. The publishing world, according to The Associated Press, said:
they have seen double digit increases in e-book sales since the Kindle's release, including renewed interest in downloads on the Sony Reader. Sales for the most popular books are in the hundreds, comparable to the number for the Sony, which came out in 2006.
For anyone who hasn’t heard, the Kindle is a e-book reader from Amazon.com. It weighs only a bit over 10 ounces and can hold around 200 books. Going off to an island for a month’s vacation – no more suitcase dedicated to books -- just slip the Kindle in your pocket. Of course, don’t forget the battery charger – it’s not known for a long battery life.
People keep saying print books have no need to fear the e-book reader. And at this point they’re probably right. Despite the sell-out of Kindles,
e-books are less than 1 percent of the $35 billion publishing business and likely to remain so. The e-book divisions have been shut down, the e-book award no longer exists. Barnes & Noble has abandoned the e-book field.
On the other hand, I’m hearing from more and more authors who are making their books available in e-format, usually as a complement to the print version. Authors, like publishers are trying to cover all bases.
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