Oct 21

Is the e-book really green?

E-book, publishing 1 Comment »

It depends on who you ask of course. According to a New York Times article, with respect to resources used to produce a typical e-book reader, it would require a purchaser to buy between 40 and 50 books to tip the scales in the direction of the e-reader as being more eco-friendly. When the phenomenon of ‘global warming’ is taken into account (if you believe there is such a thing) the breakeven point jumps to 100 books. For those of you who play the middle, experts Daniel Goleman and Gregory Norris put the figure is somewhere between 50 and 100 books with respect to human health consequences.

According to an article in the Washington Post, the average American reads between 5 and 9 books per year (men vs. women respectively). If e-books became the norm for most readers, it would take ten years or longer to truly say that those e-book readers are ‘greener’ than traditional books. Granted, e-readers, especially those purchased by early adopters, are purchased by higher-than-average book readers, and so this number probably gets cut in half or better.

According to an article published by Ray Godelnik for the Independent Book Publishers Association, physical books are becoming more eco-friendly as publishers learn greener practices. Godelnik believes that the future of the book industry will probably include greener versions of both physical and electronic books.

Currently, Americans generate more than 3 million tons of electronic waste, according to the EPA, with only roughly 13% of this getting recycled. Where will the busted e-reader fit in this mix? Many contain ‘a variety of toxic materials’ according to the article, many of which would leach into ground water through landfills.

This will be an interesting story to follow as e-books continue to become more popular and e-book devices become less expensive and more mainstream. Traditional book publishers are doing a better job in the past few years embracing green manufacturing/paper with a growing percentage of books coming from recycled materials.

Let’s hope the paper book’s electronic cousin can say the same thing.

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Jul 20

The e-book is the digital printer’s best friend

Distribution, E-book, Printing, publishing No Comments »

The hype, the craze, the hysteria… is all about e-books these days. Just think about it. I have heard numbers quoted recently that show 30% or more of some New York Times best-selling author’s books are being sold as e-books. I just heard a publisher last week say that they are selling more than $1 million in e-book sales a year, which makes it a ‘real business’ now.

The Barnes and Noble Nook

The International Digital Publishing Forum collects quarterly US trade retail e-book sales in the US, and shows a huge jump in sales (they are tracking wholesales) with Q1 2010 showing more than $90 million in e-book sales (see chart for more info) . In fact, their own disclaimer says that they believe that the overall market is probably double that number ($180 million)

In the meantime, we hear about the doom and gloom and demise of the printed book, which is meant to frighten publishers and printers alike. But should it? I submit that traditional printers, who are used to long runs, are going to continue to see their print runs shrink (they should be worried). Publishers are also going to see their titles shift toward e-book sales, with traditional printed inventories shrinking. This is actually very encouraging for companies who are in the digital printing space. When traditional runs get squeezed, the best option becomes digital.

I had the opportunity to talk to an industry insider last week who works for a large publishing company. He listened to the Snowfall Press model and commented that this was the future of the industry, and then went on to say that if he had money to invest, it would be with a company like Snowfall Press. The digital answer has got to be a seamless system that  brings files from the publisher (or author) to the press, printing a single book economically, and shipping the book directly to the end user (whether wholesaler, retailer or consumer) directly off press.

Interestingly, the device manufacturers are starting to duke it out and eliminate competition. This is the first sign that e-books are going to go main-stream. Price wars will force the price down so that the average consumer will be able to make the choice to move to e-books as an option. If Apple, however, gains a huge market share with the iPad, they have shown (through very innovative packaging, design, and features) that they will keep the prices high. (see http://industry.bnet.com/technology/10009583/dedicated-e-book-readers-feel-the-competitive-heat/ )

Apple's iPad

As Seth Godin puts it, printed books are becoming the souvenir that readers, followers, students want to keep on their shelves. I agree with Seth, and believe this will always be the case.

Since this topic is so hot right now, what do you believe will happen with e-books (and physical books) in the next five years?

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