First, there is the insatiable appetite big publishers (such
as McGraw-Hill, Random House, and Harper Collins) have
developed to converting their hitherto inertial backlists into
e-books. Gone are the days when e-books were perceived as
merely a novel form of packaging. Publishers understood the
cash potential this new distribution channel offers and the
value added to stale print tomes in the conversion process.
This epiphany is especially manifest in education and textbook
publishing.
Then there is the maturation of industry standards, readers
and audiences. Both the supply side (title lists) and the
demand side (readership) have increased. Giants like Microsoft
have successfully entered the fray with new e-book reader
applications, clearer fonts, and massive marketing. Retailers
- such as Barnes and Noble - opened their gates to e-books. A
host of independent publishers make good use of the
negligible-cost distribution channel that the Internet is.
Competition and positioning are already fierce - a good sign.
The Internet used to be an English, affluent middle-class,
white collar, male phenomenon.
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