eBook.de is a major ebook retailer in Germany. The latest report (through a Google translation) says that ebook sales tripled in the final quarter of 2012, and for the first time they sold more ebooks than printed books. A survey they conducted shows that ebook readers in the 40 to 49 year-old range accounted for 32% of sales, and those over 60 accounted for 20%. Nearly half of the purchasers of e-readers read more digital than print books and about a quarter read only ebooks.
Their ebook inventory rose from 404,000 to 668,000 and the second-best-selling ebook was Shades of Grey. Open standards are important, says the release, as the company feels that the ability to buy ebooks from different providers and the ability to consume them on different readers is important for customers.
Paul Biba is a retired corporate international lawyer who has worked in 53 countries. Since he is a very fast reader he came to ebooks out of self-defense in order to avoid carrying a suitcase of books on his travels around the world. An early ebook adopter, he has read on Palms, Pocket PCs and practically every device that has been out there. After being a frequent contributor to TeleRead.com, the oldest ebook/epublishing blog on the net, Paul became TeleRead's Editor-in-Chief, a position he recently resigned. Send Paul an email to paulkbiba@gmail.com
