Do Tablet Owners Read Ebooks?

More and more publishers are directing their ebook efforts towards tablet users. Last year's BISG Consumer Attitude Toward Ebook Reading survey bolstered the movement with results indicating that ebook consumers (44%) prefer tablet devices as opposed to dedicated ereaders (42%). In fact ereader preference dropped 7% last year, which suggests a trend that will continue to bolster tablet popularity.

Publishing Business Conference & Expo speaker Michael Norris sees things differently. As a senior editor and analyst for the Book Publishing Report at Simba Information, Norris's research indicates that although tablets are growing in popularity, the way tablet users view ebooks is dissimilar from the assumptions many publishers have made.

We were curious about the misconceptions surrounding the tablet and asked: What's one myth about tablet owners that Simba Information's latest study has debunked?

Norris said: They don't all read ebooks. I'm not just talking about reading ebooks on their tablets, but reading ebooks period. They just aren't part of the market, which means publishers have to do more than make their content available on tablets-they have to make the content valuable.

If you're wondering what else publishers have taken for granted, make sure you check out Norris's full report at the Monday session "Books Through the Lens of the Tablet Owner," where he will break down tablet owner demographics, spending, reading data and more.