Publishing: eBooks to overshadow prints by 2012

According to Amazon, Amazon Kindle eBooks are expected to outnumber paperbacks by the end of 2011. After that the sales of eBooks in the USA will exceed total sales of paperbacks and hardcovers taken together.

Among the reasons of electronic books’ growing popularity is their price which compares favorably with that of prints’. Steve Kessel (Amazon) is convinced that very soon all eBooks will be cheaper than all the physical books. “Customers suppose that they should be cheaper than physical carriers, we absolutely agree with them here”, - he said.

In July Amazon has already reported that the sales of eBooks in the USA beat hardbacks. Steve Harber, President of Sony Personal Mobile and Imaging branch, which answers for the development of digital readers, believes that prints will be overshadowed by eBooks in 5 years.