There were a number of notable developments and news items in the world of e-books during 2015, and here is a recap that highlights some of the more significant stories of the year.
Starting the Year with a Celebration
The year began with a digital publishing awards ceremony hosted at the glitzy Hilton Midtown Hotel in NYC, and winners included the books Chinese Whispers and The Truth is a Cave in the Black Mountains in the adult fiction category. Top honors in nonfiction went to titles including two fashion-related books, Women in Clothes and Penny Chic: How to Be Stylish on a Real Girl’s Budget.
At the end of the year – putting a bookend, if you will, on the year’s e-book accolades and awards – Amazon.com also released it list of the best-selling titles on its global bookstore website. The books included e-books such as The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins; Grey: Fifty Shades of Grey as Told by Christian, by E.L. James; and Go Set a Watchman, by Harper Lee.
News from the UK
In Britain e-book headlines were made when a study found that the sales of conventional print and paper books have fallen significantly during the past few years, while the sales and popularity of e-books has done just the opposite. Sales of e-books during 2015 approximately doubled, in fact, confirming what many e-book fans have known for a long time – that e-books are the way of the future.
What may have been more intriguing, however, was that the popular British TV series, Broadchurch, did something innovative and previously never tried before, when it promoted its show through e-books. The TV producers let fans of the show download stories – complete with unique plot twists and colorful characters – in e-book format. That way those who followed the show on television could also read additional content between TV episodes, adding special layers of excitement and interest to the unfolding Broadchurch story.
Most Popular E-Reader Devices
The Kindle Voyage was actually released right before the holiday shopping season at the end of 2014, but it still stole headlines all through the 2015 year as an elite product in the e-reader niche. The e-read set sail with strong sales thanks to being the most lightweight touch screen Kindle ever, with the best resolution ever seen on a Kindle – plus enhanced lighting and features like dedicated page-turn buttons. Meanwhile the Kindle Paperwhite continued it reign as the most affordable top-notch e-reader, with an HD screen and a great price for all of its features. The price – even without considering special sales or other discounts that are often available – is right around $120.
The Barnes and Noble Nook made news in a different way in 2015, as it fell out of favor and became less popular that e-readers from competitors like Amazon. But the Nook Glow Light, priced about the same as the Kindle Paperwhite, did get great reviews as an ad-free e-reader with excellent e-ink. The reviewers at CNET, for instance, consider it one of the top e-readers on the market – despite the fact that Barnes and Noble is facing headwinds in a fiercely competitive marketplace.
E-Books for Low-Income Students
The e-book universe was not all about book publishers and e-reader manufacturers competing to make a profit, though, because the Obama Administration launched a $250 million initiative to provide low-income kids with free e-books. The project launched in 2015 is part of a greater program called ConnectEd, which is intended to promote education across the USA by taking advantage of digital technology and Internet connectivity.
President Obama announced that through this program millions of books will now be available to students all over the USA, free of charge, and that the titles can be accessed easily – 24 hours a day – via the Internet. Obama went so far as to say that electronic downloading is “the best way” to read and learn in the digital age. Publishing partners who are helping to support this access to books include some of the biggest in the world, such as Macmillan, Simon & Schuster, and Penguin Random.
