Success
of E. L. James' novels also captured the dual state of the book market -- the advance
of e-books and the resilience of paper. In a year when print was labeled as
endangered and established publishers referred to as "legacy"
companies, defined and beholden to the past, the allure remained for buying and
reading bound books.
Publishers
from several major houses agreed that e-books comprise 25-30 percent of overall
sales, exponentially higher than a few years ago, but not nearly enough to
erase the power of paper. And the rate of growth is leveling off, inevitable as
a new format matures. Simon & Schuster CEO Carolyn Reidy said e-sales were
up around 30 percent this year, less than half what she had expected.
