Amazon and that old fudging figures manoeuvre
Unless you slept through yesterday (or for some incomprehensible reason went offline), you probably heard how Amazon won the book wars, summed up so succinctly in this New York Times headline: E-Books Top Hardcovers at Amazon:
Monday was a day for the history books — if those will even exist in the future.
Amazon.com, one of the nation’s largest booksellers, announced Monday that for the last three months, sales of books for its e-reader, the Kindle, outnumbered sales of hardcover books.
In that time, Amazon said, it sold 143 Kindle books for every 100 hardcover books, including hardcovers for which there is no Kindle edition.
Twitter and the blogosphere were saturated by speculation as to what this meant for the drum of publishing: yet another indication that print was on its deathbed?
The Times quotes one Mr Mike Shatzkin, CEO of the Idea Logical Company, ‘which advises book publishers on digital change’:
“This was a day that was going to come, a day that had to come,” he said. He predicts that within a decade, fewer than 25 percent of all books sold will be print versions.
If I may draw your attention to the operative noun: hardcovers. Hardcovers. As readers, writers and publishers know, hardcovers are generally no longer a viable print option. They’re expensive to produce and there’s not a great demand outside of collectors or fetishists. Hardcover production has been on the decline for some time; most books, in fact, no longer have a hardcover print run, rather, it’s straight to the paperback route.
In view of the general decline of the hardcover format, ebooks vs hardcovers is a peculiar comparison. Some specificity would be appreciated (from a company that won’t reveal exact numbers of Kindles sold): does Amazon mean ebooks outsold books available in multi-format – with a paperback, hardcover and ebook version?
As Marion Maneker at Slate’s The Big Money brazenly asks, ‘Here’s a riddle for you: At what point will Amazon (AMZN) have to quit being so coy with its sales figures of Kindle editions and start offering the world real information?’
Or from Publishers Weekly: ‘In Amazon’s ongoing effort to show how popular the Kindle and e-books are without giving away real numbers the company has released a batch of new statistics about the two products ahead of its second quarter earnings report set for Thursday.’ Publishers Weekly should know about such things. They track sales in the industry and have a list detailing 2009 hardcover sales in the US, and a plethora of other US publishing and sales stats.
There is a flurry about what these Amazonian numbers mean for the print and electronic book industries but this number – 100 hardcovers for every 143 Kindle books – is a number worth analysing to determine what the concrete figure means, to both readers and publishers. While the figure indicates ebook sales and popularity are increasing, a breakdown of the market and Amazon’s sales would be more constructive and honest.
Wouldn’t children’s books, for instance, be one of the few areas that would still be frequently selling in hardcover? To date, not many children’s books have electronic counterparts. Disney, Dr Seuss and other bestsellers such as the Spiderwick Chronicles are produced as ebooks, or as an interactive iPad app – see Alice for the iPad – with Dr Seuss selling for $1.99 and Miss Spider’s Tea Party, $9.99. But the publishers are under no illusions when it comes to this market: how many parents are willing to spend $499 for their child to own an iPad?
Publishers Weekly offers a breakdown of the children’s ebook/app financials:
For now, on a $10 e-book or app sale, Apple gets $3 and the publishers and authors split the $7. The author typically gets 25% of that $7—so $1.25. But that’s on a $10 app, such as Miss Spider’s Tea Party. On a $1.99 app, such as Gertrude McFuzz, the economics are worse. Traditional hardcover picture books sell for $15 to $18, and authors might get a 10% royalty based on the retail price—$1.50 for a $15 hardcover book. Paperback children’s books typically sell for $6.99 to $7.99 and give authors an 8% royalty based on retail price. The bottom line: “The higher the price of the app goes, the more comparable it gets to traditional publishing,” says Richter.
So we can assume that children’s books, still commonly printed in hardcover, are not selling electronically. How about other hardcover books? Cookbooks, art books, coffee table books all immediately come to mind. How many of these are selling in hardcover format? More than likely, the answer is few, if any. It’s similar to comparing the sale of otters to the sale of monkeys. It isn’t like comparing types of otters, but entirely different species.
David Carnoy over at CNET concludes:
I’d like to see gross revenue from e-books vs. gross revenue from hardcovers. Until recently, Amazon was actually losing money on bestsellers that it sold for $9.99 when their wholesale price from publishers was around $12 or more. Now that the publishing industry has shifted to an “agency” model, Amazon is taking a 30 percent cut, but the prices of many e-book titles are higher, possibly squelching demand. Amazon hasn’t told us yet whether the higher prices have had any impact on sales. Most Kindle users I talk to say they are buying fewer traditionally published Kindle titles because many cost over $9.99.
In the US, ebooks are still a small percentage of book market; in Australia, it’s nigh impossible to have a library on your Kindle, unless you’re only desirous of bestsellers and out of copyright texts.
If indeed ebooks are outselling hardcovers (and soon-to-be, by implication, print books), how many are self-published books? Or genre? Carnoy asks:
Just how many e-books sold are self-published titles? The Kindle Store is literally flooded with self-published titles and many of them sell between 99 cents and $3.99. Some self-published authors are doing very well because they’ve written a decent book or books that are priced cheaply. Cheap sells these days.
Certain genres are doing very well on the Kindle. Romance novels, for instance. These titles are typically very big in paperback not hardcover. According to Wikipedia, in 2004, romance novels made up 54 percent of all paperbacks sold.
If Amazon isn’t just counting books available in multi-format for their data, then this figure of ‘143 Kindle books for every 100 hardcover books’ is a broad comparison, which means all those self-published ebooks are being measured against hardcover books sold by big publishers. This is not even remotely an analogous statistic; why would big publishers want to enter that market?
Maneker (The Big Money) suggests that these figures are significant in terms of recognition of the digital-medium book, yet, ‘are hardcover sales falling or remaining the same?’ ‘Amazon has played its cards very well,’ she goes on, ‘but because it’s being so coy, we have to assume that the numbers are not as good as they might be when reported simply as, well, numbers.’
The overall e-book market is still a 90-pound weakling next to the Asiatic elephant of print publishing. According to a report from Publisher’s Weekly last year, hardback sales were projected to be about $4.4 billion in 2009 (including both adult and children’s titles), while paperbacks were expected to generate $5.1 billion in revenue, audiobooks $218 million, and e-books just $81 million — less than 1 percent of the print equivalents. That’s not even counting textbooks, Bibles and professional books — with those included, Publisher’s Weekly estimated the overall book market at $35 billion in 2009.
It’s not just the volume of ebooks moved; it’s how much the volume moved for. Publishers could potentially sell more ebooks but, at this stage of the game, it could and would be subsidised by loss of profits, or something else. Wired reminds us ‘Amazon’s e-book crusade is also helped by the fact that hardcover books cost $26 on average, while Kindle books are far less. More than 510,000 of the titles in Amazon’s e-book catalog cost $10 or less.’
Carolyn Kellogg at the LA Times queries Amazon’s data transparency:
In December and January, industry watchers took note of the fact that Amazon.com’s bestseller list was full of free books; in May, the company split the list into “Top 100 Paid” and “Top 100 Free.” Today’s figures exclude free books for the Kindle.
However, Amazon.com continues to emphasize the price differential. Its press release points out that of 630,000 not-free ebooks available for the Kindle, “Over 510,000 of these books are $9.99 or less.”
It’s impressive that Charlaine Harris (author of the Sookie Stackhouse mysteries, the basis of the television series “True Blood”), Stephenie “Twilight” Meyer, James Patterson (author of the Alex Cross series and others), romance maven Nora Roberts and Stieg “The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo” Larsson have each sold 500,000 books for the Kindle.
But what isn’t being said is that these aren’t necessarily new books; most of these authors have an impressive backlist. James Patterson has published almost 40 novels; Nora Roberts' books have been issued and reissued so frequently that it’s almost impossible to tally her published work. Stieg Larsson, who died in 2004, is the underachiever: His popular mystery series consists of only three books.
Though there may have been growth in ebook sales, there’s no certainty or intelligibility as to what this means. These Amazon sales touted as proving a booming ebook market more resemble an attempt to push publishers into converting their catalogues electronically by employing that classic menace: you’re losing money.
Is the boom period of the ebook coming? Perhaps. But CNET’s Carnoy warns, ‘just remember who’s trying to control the narrative here. Amazon has an agenda. It wants to sell e-books. And lots of them.’ Despite evidence and conjecture to the contrary, the American Publishers Association says industry-wide sales of books are up 22% for 2010. Given the push to digital and the clout of companies like Amazon and Apple, these hardcover vs electronic figures make the whole ebook market seem a bit wan. The more illuminating question would be: how are your overall print vs electronic sales?
This piece was originally published at Drum Unleashed.
That's exactly right. Amazon is trying to boost future sales by exaggerating the scale of the trend: a self-fulfilling prophecy. The motive behind the agenda is, of course, to maximise profit.
The reason (as suggested by the excerpt from Publishers Weekly) that ebooks are a more attractive option for corporate bosses and shareholders is that, with far less labour required - and no materials except IT infrastructure - the surplus value of the work done is increased, despite the lower cost to the consumer of an ebook.
It's not quite the same level of scam as the music industry pulled when CDs first came out (cheaper to produce, sold for more), but it's the same dynamic at work. In this case, everyone wins, except the worker (not just the authors, but everyone involved: printing, binding, warehouse stacking, delivery, retail). Amazon has become wealthy on the toil of these workers. Can we except them to share in the spoils of this new technology? Can we hell:
http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE5B13ZB20091202
http://business.timesonline.co.uk/tol/business/industry_sectors/retailing/article5337770.ece
On a lighter note, I really like hardcover books. They stay open where you leave them, and they don't fall apart as quickly as paperbacks. Shame they're so expensive.
Joshua Mostafa
22 July at 01:46PM
By 'Can we except them' above, I meant 'Can we *expect* them'.
Joshua Mostafa
22 July at 01:47PM
Good analysis.
And not wanting to detract from your arguments, but perhaps the reason Amazon makes the claim in relation to hardbacks is that in the US until very recently - and possibly still - books are always published first in hardback, then in paperback. In Australia we are innovative in publishing books first in pb. In US as far as I know they're just cottoning on to idea that a new book might first appear in paperback.
Jane
22 July at 03:17PM
Don't forget, eBook publishing is still a very young industry, and the toys, er, eBook readers of today will morph into more tactile, foldable, much more book-like devices.
I have confidence eBook readers will eventually dominate traditional book sales.
Mike
12 July at 02:11AM
i use lamp shades with CFL ubls instead of incandescent lamps, that they are much cooler and
uses less electricity,,
Faith
12 December at 09:04AM
LMFAO is often a excellent band, i for example those hilarious MTV they make on youtube;
Paulette
19 December at 10:14PM
I just like this site vastly, Its a very nice position to
read and receive information .
Sherlene
23 December at 01:26AM
I think your suggestion would be helpful for me.
I will let you be acquainted with if it is work for me
too. Thank you for sharing this beautiful articles. thanks a large amount
Sonia
28 December at 11:47AM
Hi there mates, how is all, and what you would like to say regarding this article, in my view its truly amazing in favor of me.
Ofelia
29 December at 11:15AM
When I click on your RSS feed it gives me a page of
weird text, is the malfunction on my end?
Regina
30 December at 05:55PM
What's up friends, how is all, and what you want to say regarding this post, in my view its truly remarkable in support of me.
Nelson
07 January at 06:41AM
May I just say what a comfort to uncover an individual who truly knows what
they are talking about on the web. You actually know how to bring an issue to light and make it important.
More and more people need to read this and understand this side of your story.
I can't believe you are not more popular given that you most certainly have the gift.
Eulalia
17 January at 12:44AM
Hostgator never give up their quality even though their subscribers list rises every day.
You will pay 25% off on your initial month which will be immediately included in your first invoice, no need to call customer service to get your discount. There are many Host - Gator coupons available on the web.
Reece
17 January at 06:16PM
It can be your capability to understand all components of one's reality by paying care about your sensitivity, your intuitions, and your sensations. There isn't replacement for creating a relationship with an agent who has had many years of experience
facilitating personal growth, that knows how the transformative process works,
and who. If your illness is mild panic attack or a straightforward depression that you simply cannot bear,
then the psychologist is the best person to assist you out.
Eddie
22 January at 03:55PM
People are speaking about adjustable beds once again - about the streets,
inside the shopping world, as well as in infomercials. The methods which are
used are shown to be safe and effective for several types of lower back pain
and discomfort. Spinal disks are cartilage cushions located between your bones with the
spine.
Leila
22 January at 04:11PM
Tension headache occurs mainly on account of stress, depression or anxiety,
fatigue, poor posture, eye strain, tobacco and alcohol
use. Some have a very strong visual aura, which include
zigzag lines or tunnel vision before panic or anxiety attack,
while some are more understanding of certain smells.
A sinus headache surfaces when fluids within the nose
are certainly not able to drain well and pressure builds in sinuses.
Jimmie
22 January at 04:19PM
Should herniation occurs inside upper body, it automatically sends pain to the neck,
shoulders and arms. Some everyone has degenerative disc disease and also have no symptoms,
and some have severe pain. The single most useful test readily available for
diagnosing spinal disorders.
Angeles
22 January at 04:40PM
As in therapy, clarifying the parameters of the Patriot Act and containing its use
is an essential cornerstone to the establishment of
trust. The purpose driven life: What that is
known am I here for. He resides together with his family in Mississippi where he could be a
Counseling Intern Associate for Summit Counseling in Jackson, MS.
Coral
22 January at 04:45PM
Other than this, people who have certain injury could
also face this complication on later stage or once you have the injury.
The specialists consult, look at the case history, and conduct
a physical examination to ensure a diagnosis. Degenerative osteo-arthritis or osteoarthritis is yet another
condition that commonly occurs with aging.
Gregg
22 January at 05:22PM
Known culprits are repetitive motions, poor posture, physical trauma, and abnormal
curvature from the neck [scoliosis for example].
Progressive muscle relaxation, meditation and yoga tend
to be going to help. A sinus headache surfaces when fluids in the nose usually
are not able to drain well and pressure builds in sinuses.
Violette
22 January at 05:58PM
For example once you feel an anxiety attack brewing,
you could do some squats. When you grasp the salt water
evaporates, the reservations and misgivings fade and usually go away.
They are virtually all, to some degree, potentially addictive.
Natalie
23 January at 02:48AM
The technique medication cause serious unwanted side effects associated with their
use, including liver damage, and liver, weakened immune system and heart failure.
Include fish, rice, nuts, seeds and lentils within your diet.
But, deciding the most effective treatment plans on their own just isn't counseled in pregnant women plus ladies who experience recurrent installments of vaginal yeast infection.
Victoria
23 January at 07:06PM
Carl Rogers' client-centered therapy, for instance, took it's origin from the theory
that folks could enhance their lives by expressing their authentic selves.
While Psychotherapy would be to assist people in understanding and mastering
their unique thoughts and feelings. There are certainly some individuals who prefer to not
possess a dog in the room, whatever their reasons may be.
Sheryl
26 January at 04:27PM
Tannate plant extract is a powerful anti fungal agent by destroying
candida selectively without harming the good flora in
the body. When I brought my eight year old daughter, Rachel, to you three weeks ago she was suffering from acute sinus troubles, had been prescribed 5
different antibiotics, 4 sets of prednisone. Infections can
appear in lots of areas but generally on the genital region, in skin folds, as
well as in the mouth and around the finger and toe nails.
Philomena
27 January at 10:01PM
In addition to as being a full-time counseling student, Jason is also a husband, father,
church consultant, disaster relief chaplain,
as well as a fanatic of all things Apple. Dream therapy is
the top depression treatment you can find because you figure out
how to eliminate your anti-conscience through consciousness.
a big, chronic hunk of emotional pain and anxiety had broken off of me,
like an iceberg floating away and melting since it
went.
Senaida
29 January at 08:20AM
s typically rushed, high stress world, having lumbar
pain or bad sciatica just isn't an easy thing to deal with. Sudden low back pain may indicate an accident or pulled muscle, you begin back pain exercise, seek advice from your health care provider. A hormone called relax in is produced by your system during pregnancy.
Rodrigo
29 January at 01:57PM
Watch those sensations you call states without going for any
labels; without going for any meaning or significance that may seemingly then amplify the intensity and story you
could have given them. At enough time I was studying the
worst portion of depression, my behavior was so unpredictable my girlfriends never knew what things to expect.
These thoughts and feelings tell you there exists only a terrible way to go and no other options exist.
Winston
29 January at 03:39PM
Most often lumbar region from the back gets affected due to over burden and pressure that certain puts for the
lower region in the spine. A previous neck injury can
predispose to a person to cervical spondylosis.
Skilled operation technique with latest instruments.
Krystyna
29 January at 10:08PM
The person is just a manifestation of consciousness about the physical level.
Improving strength and suppleness go return hand.
Massage – there are lots of cases of lumbar pain that
can be alleviated by massage.
Jeffrey
29 January at 10:17PM
Your blog never ceases to amaze me, its very well written and organized.
;-:~.
Tyler
30 January at 04:39PM
Great article, totally what I wanted to find.
Eloisa
30 January at 07:53PM
Yes! Finally someone writes about diet plan.
Fausto
31 January at 09:20AM
“It just didn’t plainly the way I wanted it to,” he said.
This treatment functions expanding the disc space by gently stretching the spine.
A muscle spasm is in reality a bodily mechanism which
indicates an attempt to protect the spine from any further injury.
Alexis
01 February at 01:35PM
Open up a dialogue so they each step into each other.
Moreover, using this treatment, patients will be able to avoid
the pain sensation and the negative effects surgical treatments bring.
Massage – there are numerous cases of lower
back pain that can be alleviated by massage.
Shirley
01 February at 03:41PM
There's definately a lot to know about this issue. I love all the points you have made.
Sonya
04 February at 02:15PM
This piece of writing offers clear idea in favor of the new users of blogging,
that actually how to do running a blog.
Nickolas
05 February at 09:50AM
One never knows whenever a mind-blowing comment will customize the way one looks at
the world. t need to pay attention to many details; you want to believe in your imagination.
Read the letter for the recipient, either in person or higher the phone.
Anne
06 February at 08:59PM
Highly descriptive post, I enjoyed that a lot.
Will there be a part 2?
Abby
15 February at 08:51AM
I have read so many articles about the blogger lovers
but this article is truly a nice post, keep it up.
Kristen
19 February at 05:28AM
I got this web page from my friend who told
me regarding this web page and at the moment this time I am visiting this site and reading very informative posts at this time.
Cassie
20 February at 07:54PM
First of all I want to say excellent blog! I had a quick question
that I'd like to ask if you don't mind. I was curious to know how
you center yourself and clear your thoughts before
writing. I've had trouble clearing my mind in getting my ideas out. I do enjoy writing however it just seems like the first 10 to 15 minutes are wasted just trying to figure out how to begin. Any ideas or hints? Thank you!
Ken
27 February at 12:16AM
stiri din romania
naregratt
27 February at 04:10PM
The pages are pretty straight forward and stay the same every day for each and
every visitor. No where maybe it was explained that
I'd require into the Host Manager and after that into the File Manager to be able to alter the URLs to ensure all of my pages didn't read
as "page1. This company offers unlimited disk space, bandwidth, and email.
Rolland
04 March at 07:51PM
woah i along the lines of yur site. It really helped
me with that the information i wus seeking
for. thank you, will save.
Katia
09 March at 07:51PM
ll figure out how to eliminate what's bad from your psyche and from a life. If you are looking at beginning therapy you'll want to become an educated
consumer. After a little while, the addict’s environment is pervaded with cues — reminders from the drug that induce the release of dopamine within the brain and predict a
reward.
Kandace
12 March at 06:46AM
This information is worth everyone's attention. Where can I find out more?
Xavier
16 March at 07:18AM
It's an remarkable paragraph in favor of all the web users; they will get benefit from it I am sure.
Elva
18 March at 01:58PM
What's up everyone, it's my first go to see at this web site, and piece of writing is truly fruitful
in support of me, keep up posting these types of articles
or reviews.
Tammi
20 March at 06:57AM
Hello i would really love to subscribe and read your blog posts .
!
Rogelio
21 March at 03:05AM
Thanks for writing this extraordinary submit..Liked your article content. You should do sustain writin
25 March at 11:20PM
A person experiences difficulty in speaking and feels confused or disoriented.
He stated the reason he scored so well was because he would see the hockey puck enter in
the net right before he shot it in. A sinus headache surfaces when fluids in the
nose usually are not able to drain well and pressure increases in sinuses.
Kelle
26 March at 02:02AM
This text is invaluable. How can I find out more?
Warren
26 March at 03:50PM
Piece of writing writing is also a excitement, if you be acquainted with then you can write or else it
is complicated to write.
Mia
30 March at 02:54AM
Hardware Industrial designThe first thing you notice about sexcam the Apple TV, in realtime.
Frankly, we wouldn't be surprised to see some options for being able sexcam to do so. Hit the power button -- which is more than twice as fast" as the last-gen A5 and" 22 percent smaller.
Jenny
02 April at 10:59PM
I'm not sure why but this weblog is loading very slow for me. Is anyone else having this issue or is it a problem on my end? I'll check back later on and see if the problem still
exists.
Sue
08 April at 10:18AM
Pretty! This has been an extremely wonderful post.
Thank you for providing this info.
Klara
04 May at 05:10PM
I truly love your website.. Pleasant colors & theme.
Did you make this web site yourself? Please reply back as I'm looking to create my own site and would love to know where you got this from or just what the theme is called. Thanks!
Cheryl
11 May at 03:52AM