A Maturing Ebook Market

Publisher respondents conduct testing on an average of three different devices. The most popular device for testing is the Amazon Kindle, closely followed by Apple iOS devices and Barnes & Noble’s NOOK coming in third. “Enhanced” eReaders and tablets like the Kindle Fire and NOOK Color are currently less of a priority. Despite the described benefits, just under one third of book publishers surveyed reported that they do not test e­books for specific mobile devices. With a laser focus on improving user experience, publishers must have device testing on their checklist to meet those objectives.

Undoubtedly, e­books have progressed significantly since their beginnings just a decade ago. In this stage of the e­book revolution, publishers are focusing on improving the user experience; in their use of design and layout, typography and rich media, publishers want to provide their readers with more than just static content. Migrating from print-centric formats such as PDF to more interactive formats such as EPUB is a start, but requires a deeper look at the plan for long-term book production and the underlying workflow that will support it. For publishers looking to eventually eliminate print production, running parallel workflows for e­books and print may be fine. With the vast majority of publishers planning to produce print and digital formats for the foreseeable future, production and distribution workflows for both formats need to be aligned to support greater efficiency and interactive user experiences. BB