«

»

Apr
06

A New Revolution: E-Reading

Categories:

by

Child with an e-reader. Photo by Eric Rice, permission via Creative Commons.

There are four times more people reading ebooks on a typical day now than was the case less than two years ago, according to a survey by the PEW Internet and American Life Project.

Researchers found that people who own e-readers read more books than people who don’t own the devices and read only print.

According to the report:

  • 21% of American adults have read an e-book.
  • 43% have read an e-book, magazine or news story on an e-reader, tablet, smartphone or computer in the past year.
  • 28% own at least one device for e-reading, either a tablet or e-reader.
  • 29% of e-book readers read e-books on their cellphone.
Even though the number of people using e-readers is growing, print still dominates.  In the year leading up to the survey 72% of American adults said they had read a printed book compared to 17% that have read an e-book.
Most people surveyed feel print is better for sharing, such as reading to a child. E-books reign for convenience when commuting or being able to get a book quickly.

The federal government is leveraging digital technology and placing important consumer-related government information into the hands of those who want and need it through Publications.USA.gov.

Publications are free and may be downloaded to desktops, laptops, various e-readers and mobile devices. The most popular publication this year is the 2012 Consumer Action Handbook.

Do you have an e-reader?  Do you enjoy the experience as much as print?

Share and Enjoy:
  • Twitter
  • Print
  • Digg
  • Sphinn
  • del.icio.us
  • Facebook
  • Mixx
  • Google Bookmarks
  • Blogplay

Tags: , , , ,

3 comments

  1. Tracy Liedman says:

    April 18, 2012 at 2:49 pm (UTC -5 )

    Thanks, Donna. Interesting statistics. I wonder if they take into account the amount that each method of access is generating. Like, if one individual reads a traditional paper book, but another individual, who uses an eReader reads 10 books, are they still both being counter only once? Because then they’re talking about customer preferences, not the actual weight that those market shares have among total book consumption.

  2. Tammi Marcoullier says:

    April 9, 2012 at 10:33 am (UTC -5 )

    Thank you, Donna! Very helpful for everyone venturing into e-publishing and taking the audience into consideration.

  3. Donna Lettow says:

    April 9, 2012 at 9:34 am (UTC -5 )

    I just received an announcement for a conference that people interested in creating eBook — and especially eBooks that are inclusive for all readers — might be interested in:

    Inclusive Publishing and eBook Distribution: Access for People with Print Disabilities
    June 8-9, 2012
    National Federation of the Blind,
    200 E. Wells Street, at Jernigan Place,
    Baltimore MD 21230

    Don’t miss this opportunity to learn about the state of the accessible eBook market, interface with experts in the industry, and ensure that your print-disabled users can join the rest of the world in enjoying the convenience and power of the eBook revolution.

    For more information, or to register, please visit http://www.nfb.org/Inclusive_publishing

Comments have been disabled.