E-books beat out traditional publishing formats

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The publishing trends, not only in the newspaper industry, but also in the book world is shifting fast. E-book sales in February 2011 topped all other formats, including paperbacks and hardcovers, according to an industry report released this week.

E-book sales totaled $90.3 million in February, up 202% compared to the same month a year earlier, according to a study from the Association of American Publishers. That put e-books at No. 1 “among all categories of trade publishing” that month. This is the first time e-books have beaten out traditional publishing formats, according to the statistics.

The net sales data used in the report are compiled from publishers, not from book retailers.

The report attributed February’s strong numbers to a post-holiday e-book buying surge by consumers who received e-readers devices as gifts.

Back in January, Amazon reported that its own e-book sales topped paperbacks. The Kindle largely paved the way for the dedicated e-reader market.

Beyond the Kindle , other e-readers include the Barnes & Noble’s Nook, the Sony Reader, and Borders’ Kobo. Apple’s iPad is also driving digital book sales.

Those devices are changing the way booksellers view the industry. Traditional book retailers have just few years to adapt to an e-book-centric industry.

The book business is changing much faster, than movies or music or newspapers have changed in the past, because technology is much more advanced than in the old days.

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