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By Kate Worlock
 EBooks and Traditional Texts: Complementary or Mutually Exclusive?
Written by Kate Worlock
The eBooks market has been poised for greatness for many years, held back by poor content capabilities, the lack of a suitable technology and the non-availability of valuable content. However, two key devices - the Sony Reader and the Amazon Kindle - as well as applications to read eBooks on devices like the iPhone have thrust eBooks back into the spotlight, re-igniting interest from consumers, business users, students and publishers.
Outsell defines eBooks as downloadable units of digital book content which can be read on a variety of devices (laptops, eBook readers, smartphones). The key to the concept of eBooks is to think of the content as a discrete unit - so that a website based on content from a reference book would not count as an eBook, for example. Outsell's recent E-books Market Size, Share and Forecast Report estimates that the global market for eBook content in 2008 was US$150 million, with the bulk of that accounted for by consumer fiction. The presence of stand-alone readers, and opportunities offered by other devices, has provided a real market stimulus and a great opportunity for publishers to learn about user needs.
Consumers accessing eBooks, particularly on eBook readers, tend to be early adopters, or those for whom eBooks solve a particular problem. This has led to the popularity of sci-fi content (early adopters with an interest in technology and gadgets) and romance (female commuters or groups such as ‘soccer moms' who find themselves pushed for time). Demand for bestsellers is likely to grow, as this will prove popular amongst other time pressured groups such as commuters and business travellers.
Our research points to parallels between the print and digital world, at least in the consumer fiction market - print bestsellers are often also eBook bestsellers. EBook reader devices serve this audience well as few interactive elements are required - consumers of fiction eBook content are instead looking for a device on which large amounts of content can be easily stored and accessed and, perhaps most importantly, a reading experience which is not a strain on the eyes. Lack of content availability, however, remains a serious hindrance to the mass market appeal of eBooks.
EBooks for students
While fiction is booming, eBook applications which seem to make real sense in specific markets have not yet taken off to the same extent. For example, sales of eBooks direct to students do not make up a large percentage of the textbook market. This is likely due to several factors:
- Lack of content availability in an eBook format (a problem across all categories of eBooks)
- Difficulty in accessing content
- Faculty's unwillingness to source or recommend e-textbooks over print editions
- Availability of viable alternatives such as the print edition, free online content and online publisher-created services based on textbooks, such as WileyPLUS, Pearson's MyMathLab (and others for different subjects), McGraw-Hill Connect, Cengage OWL and Cengage Now.
Nonetheless, students are certainly aware of the existence and availability of eBooks. The JISC national eBooks observatory project (Jan-Mar 2008) found that 62.7% of full-time students, 60.1% of part-time students, and 58.3% of faculty had used eBooks in the past. However, only 5% had bought an eBook, while 45.6% got eBooks from the university library and 42.6% downloaded free eBooks. Outsell's own data mirrors this. In a November/December 2008 survey, only 1.2% of students surveyed owned an eBook reader device. By far the more popular handheld devices were iPods (71%) and smartphones/PDAs (31%).
Since the majority of students already have a laptop or similar device, they are more likely to access eBook content on this device rather than on an eBook reader, particularly since they may wish to utilize the content, for example by copying and pasting quotes into essays. Cost will also be an issue for this group, and until the price of eBook reader devices falls, the student market is unlikely to be a key target for device manufacturers.
Demand for eBook content is certainly evident from the JISC survey. Well over a third (37.3%) of respondents consulted at least three eBook titles in the month prior to the survey, suggesting that this format is becoming an integral part of their scholarly information experience. The survey also found that students are heavier users of eBooks than their teachers. Student users of eBook content are likely to demand higher levels of interactivity than readers of fiction titles, although the JISC survey suggests that accessibility is the most important factor.
Some universities are already actively promoting the use of eBooks over print editions. In autumn 2008, Northwest Missouri State University implemented a pilot scheme, loaning Sony Reader devices to 240 students and contracting with McGraw-Hill Education to provide e-textbooks for four courses. The pilot has now been extended, with content now being delivered to laptops as well as reader devices. While students were initially fascinated with their Sony Readers, they soon became frustrated with the devices' limited interactivity capabilities which made it impossible to highlight passages, cut and paste text, or participate in interactive quizzes. Lack of content is also a problem, as is cost. The most cost-effective option remains buying a second hand edition and selling it back to the college bookstore (provided that the textbook is the correct edition). For institutions, however, eBooks appear to offer a very cost-effective option.
Pros and cons
From the perspective of the academic librarian, there are a range of advantages and disadvantages to the usage of eBooks. EBooks can be quickly acquired and updated and are searchable, but they also make users dependent on the platform, lack the physical qualities of a book, and can be difficult to read for long periods. Limited access rights (there is often no concurrent use or limited user numbers, and no interlibrary loans) are also problematic.
Further, publishers' business models do not always address needs such as concurrent usage rights to mirror times of high demand. Getting publishers to move away from these old business models will be a challenge - but only by offering eBook content in a way which offers additional value to the end user (be that the library or its student users) will the take-up of eBooks become significant.
Despite these challenges, the JISC survey results show that a great deal of eBook content usage comes through the library of a higher educational institution. Almost 90% of students said that they were dependent on the library's eResources in some way and 60.1% of respondents said they had used an eBook, although only 47.2% of students and 41.4% of teachers had accessed them through the library.
Libraries may need to do more, therefore, to communicate the details of the eBook resources which they have in place, and it will also be important for take-up for faculty to recommend e-textbooks on their reading lists. The JISC study found that 30% of teachers were not recommending eTextbooks while almost 50% had put details on a reading list, almost 30% had included details in their institution's VLE (Virtual Learning Environment) package, and 14.9% had included titles in an online reading module. Around 25% did not know about the eTextbook equivalents of the print texts which they were recommending to their students.
Even with business models and products which do not take full advantage of the eBook medium, there is a strong demand for this material. For eBooks to move from an interesting opportunity to a really significant new business, publishers must grasp the nettle and work with the medium to understand how the business can best take advantage of these opportunities in order to deliver real end user benefits.
By Kate Worlock
Kate Worlock is a Director & Lead Analyst at Outsell, a research
and advisory firm focused on the publishing, information and education
industries. She's responsible for analyzing and advising on topics
which cut across the information industry, and she also takes care of
data and report creation around end user and library market sizing.
In
March 2008, Kate was elected to the Content Division Board of the
Software & Information Industry Association (SIIA), which provides
a forum for companies that are in the business of publishing and
distributing content online, or offer technologies or services that
facilitate the distribution of information products. Kate also serves
on the board of the UK Data Publishers Association.
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