Digital Census Ten Findings The Digital Census 2016


The FutureBook Digital Census has been taking the pulse of the publishing industry for the past eight years, from the early days of digital, through the great e-book migration and, laterly, to a trade enjoying a renaissance in print and adjusting to a new cross-format equilibrium. Yet, as Tom Holman discovers, this year’s survey shows many facets of the business remain divisive among those working in the trade


Ten talking points 1


Digital is embedded in publishing…


2 3 4


…but growth is slowing Reading has gone mobile Apps are fading


5


Self-publishing satisfies, but it doesn’t always pay


6


Pricing and royalties prove divisive


7 8


And agency pricing splits the trade, too Piracy remains a problem


9


Technology companies are on top…


10


…while publishers, libraries and booksellers face challenges


04


Two in five (40%) publishers say digital formats now account for more than a fiſth of their total sales—nearly three times as many as said the same back in 2011. Only a litle over a third (38.3%) say they account for less than 10% of sales. Digital isn’t just an add-on any more—it is now a part of everyday publishing. While digital sales are still rising, optimism for their future growth is much lower than in the early years of the Digital Census. Around half (52.9%) of publishers forecast that digital sales will be worth more than a fiſth of their sales by the end of 2021—an increase on the number for those where that is already the case (40%) but not a drastic one. Only one in 10 (9.8%) now thinks digital will become the dominant format across all tpes of publishing. The eight years of the Digital Census have charted the rapid tran- sition in reading platforms, from computer, to dedicated e-readers, to tablets, and now to smartphones. Half (49.4%) of this year’s census respondents say they commonly read on mobiles, the huge advances in technology having made them a viable alternative to larger-format devices. The Kindle is not going away—two in five (40.4%) say they commonly read on one—nor are tablets such as the iPad, used by nearly as many respondents (37.8%). But it is on smartphones that publishers need to engage readers now.


More than a quarter (28.8%) of publishers revealed through the Digital Census that they sell content in apps. But that figure is way down on the census’ peak (55.9%) in 2013, an indication that publish- ers have struggled to make apps pay. By contrast, nine in 10 (89.8%) sell e-books, and of all the digi- tal formats, this is the one that has given them the biggest growth in the past year. Second only to these is audio, which it might be argued has succeeded apps as the best way to repurpose content. Digital technology has empow- ered self-published authors, but is it actually making them much money? Authors who go it alone seem to get more satisfaction than those who go down traditional routes. On a scale of one to 10—where one is “very unsatisfied” and 10 is “very satis- fied”—authors’ satisfaction with


Q: Which formats do you use for publishing?


format


E-books Downloads (PDF etc) Web content Print on demand Audio Enhanced e-books Apps Video E-textbooks Online database CDs


their traditional publishers averages 5.5, while self-published authors rate their satisfaction with what they achieve with their books much higher, at 7.2.


T&Cs The Digital Census


was completed by 246 respondents, nearly


three-quarters (72.5%) of whom were from the UK. The survey was


conducted in September and October 2016.


With notable exceptions, this sense of fulfilment isn’t translat- ing to sales though. Very few self-published authors think their earnings from digital sales have increased in the past year, and two- thirds (66.7%) of them say they have sold fewer


FutureBook | 2nd December 2016 response %


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32