eBook market analysis: the future of digital publishing
eBooks have had a stunning growth in the last couple of years because of the ease of publishing and accessibility. As a result, eBooks have become an effective part of a content management strategy when correctly implemented.
If you are considering publishing an eBook as part of your future marketing strategy, it is important to understand what the future of digital publishing will be.
Here is a market forecast of the growth and industry trends to help you understand if this is an avenue your content management team would like to explore.
eBook projected market growth
The eBook realm can be a bit of a challenge to track because of the multiple avenues of publishing. Many authors also offer eBooks for free or with a donation. However, based on a recent market report, “the global eBook market accounted for approximately 12.6% of the Global Book Publishing market in 2014 and is expected to increase to 27.8% by 2019 (Morgan Healey).” Other reports targeting specific markets show that eBook sales are in a decline in the UK market (Fortune) but the United States eBook market is projected to reach $13B by 2020 (Talking New Media). These figures are also dramatically impacted by the subject matter and publishing means.
eBook market trends
Smashwords published a great roundup of upcoming eBook marketing trends (Smashwords). Some highlights include:
● Independent authors will dominate the eBook publishing world and continue to outgrow traditional publishing eBook authors
● Sales growth will stabilise since the eBook market has begun to reach maturity
● Romance will continue to experience the largest share of the eBook market
The most important market trend in eBooks is that even though growth is flat-lining, there are still opportunities available for independent publishers to get a foothold in the market.
Though the eBook market is hard to track because of its complexity, there is still great potential for content marketing with eBooks. Ultimately, overheads are lower on eBooks versus traditional books, so your biggest investment will be in time and marketing. Whether you should incorporate eBooks in your particular content management strategy depends entirely on your business goals. At ALHAUS, we have a ton of experience creating and taking eBooks to market as a larger piece of a content management strategy. So if you are curious about the eBook market and how it will impact or benefit your particular business, contact us today.
We can help you determine if publishing an eBook is the right course of action and then take you from ideation to publishing to promotion.