London light years

London in the UK is light years ahead of the rest of the world in encouraging ereading. Through the London Evening Standard, Barnes and Noble agreed to donate 1,000 Nooks to a charity (Beanstalk) and now major publishers are donating their books on those Nooks to make this cause — called Get London Reading — a success for schoolchildren. What a wonderful combination of collaborators — ereader-maker for the devices, newspaper for the promotion, and publishers for the content. It's a win—win-win for students. According to The Bookseller story: "Hachette UK, HarperCollins, Penguin and Random House have signed up to donate titles from bestselling children’s authors, including Michael Morpurgo’s A Medal for Leroy (HarperCollins) and Roald Dahl’s Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (Penguin).

England on the ebook upswing

Digital Book World reports that the share of ebook sales in England continues on its three-year upswing. Digital formats (encompassing ebooks, audiobooks downloads and online subscriptions) accounted for 12% of the total invoiced value of sales of books in 2012, with this share rising from 8% in 2011, and from 5% in 2010. And Barnes and Noble has announced that it has donated 1,000 Nooks (ereaders) through English national charity Beanstalk to school children in the UK. Meanwhile, Peter Hildick-Smith, founder of The Codex Group, a book-publishing data firm, speaking at the Evangelical Christian Publishers Association Leadership Conference in Nashville, predicted that the digital book percentage in the U.S. will be at the 30 percent level in 2013.

Legacy vs. legacy

Digital Book World reports: "Barnes & Noble is pushing publishers for better terms, higher marketing funds and cutting back on their initial orders of books. The Wall Street Journal and The New York Times both recently reported that B&N and corporate publisher Simon & Schuster are feuding." In my opinion this situation is a red herring. This is a perfect example of legacy companies fighting for legacy victories. Neither is a winner. The future of selling books will not be a battle for shelf space at a superstore bookstore or a mom and pop book store. The future of selling books is digital. That's where people will first read a book; where the word of mouth will begin; and where the momentum for sales will begin. Once the value or appeal of a book has been established, getting the book will take the path of least resistance, past whatever is sitting out on shelves.