When it comes to transformation, many parallels are drawn between the music/film industries and book publishers, which I think is a bit unfair. In my opinion, the music and film industries initially reacted in quite a negative way to the rise in digital technology being used to share music. Instead of embracing technology to make it easier for consumers to access audio and video content, a rash of copyright infringement lawsuits were filed against those very consumers that are needed to support the entertainment industries. These types of actions only gave these industries a black eye; digital content delivery services like Apple iTunes, Amazon Music, Hulu, and Netflix were the real catalyst for getting people to switch from illegal file sharing to paid services.

Book publishing hasn't been perfect, and it also hasn't had to deal with the sheer scale of file sharing that occurred in music and film entertainment. Nevertheless, new technologies and business models are flourishing, sometimes created from within traditional publishing and often from the outside. In terms of print, we've seen the proliferation of print-on-demand services that enable low-cost, low-run self-publishing, which has truly opened up and democratized publishing for the masses.

The right combination of capable hardware and trusted content sources has catalyzed growth in digital media distribution and access.

The big focus in book publishing is now on digital distribution of eBooks through services connected directly to eReaders and tablets. InfoTrends conducted a study on this very topic toward the end of last year entitled Reading e-Media: The End-User Perspective. This research initiative surveyed over 600 end-users that use digital devices for reading, including dedicated eReaders and multipurpose devices like smartphones and tablets.

One of the study's most prominent findings is that the right combination of capable hardware and trusted content sources has catalyzed growth in digital media distribution and access. Remember that eBooks and eReaders have been around since the 1990s; over 30% of eReader user respondents indicated owning an eReader for over two years. With the availability of wireless access to eBook marketplaces featuring a wide variety of prominent titles, many offered at a portion of the costs of a physical book, digital reading has proliferated. Digital readers are spending a lot of time on their eReaders, as well, as shown in Figure 1.