If you are looking for the perfect gift for the reader in your life, you might want to reconsider that novel from the local bookstore. While it is true that many avid readers still prefer sitting down with a “real” book in hand, more and more people are discovering electronic books. If you are unfamiliar with ebooks, they are simply books available in digital format. These books can be read on a computer or hand held devices called ebook readers.

As ebooks continue to grow in popularity, there are more devices becoming available which contain e-reader applications. Blackberry and iPhone have recently added ebook readers to various devices with plans for other additions in the future. There have been some claims that the screens on smartphones are simply too small to accommodate ebooks. According to Steven Pendergrast, president of Fictionwise LLC this is not the case and noted that ebooks have been selling very well to users of smartphones and other hand held users.

One and a half million ebooks were sold by Fictionwise in 2008 with the average sale price coming in at about the same cost of a paperback book. With 50% growth in year-to-year revenue, Fictionwise is anticipating the trend to continue in 2010.

Smartphones may be one of the reasons ebook sales are on the rise, however it is not the only reason. There are other dedicated ebook readers available that remain popular among readers including the Kindle from Amazon.com and others from Sony Inc. Beyond the devices that have the ability to read these books, you also have the readers themselves leading the movement toward ebooks.

Today more consumers are turning to ebooks to take advantage of the huge wealth of authors and titles available that may not be available in printed publications. Authors have the opportunity to sell their work in a digital format without all the hassles and more importantly costs typically associated with publishing a book. This means consumers now have the opportunity to read the work of talented writers that otherwise might not be available.

It is believed the typical ebook readers today are women between 40 and 50 years of age. These readers generally have a higher than average income level and education. This trend will likely change to include young adults and even school children if ebooks continue to grow in popularity at the current pace. If you are not yet on board the ebook bandwagon, you might just want to give it a shot this year. It appears 2010 will be a great year for the electronic book industry.

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