Ten Reasons why eBooks are the new paperbacks

The following list was published on Newsblaze.com and is reposted here with permission.

* eBook sales are growing exponentially.
* eBooks offer authors a much heftier royalty, making them more attractive to independent self-publishers
* eBooks are very cheap to buy.
* eBooks don't take up space, rot or collect dust.
* eBooks can be instantly downloaded and then read immediately
* With today's improved electronic readers, e-books have the advantage of go-anywhere practicality and durability.
* Publishers are reluctantly embracing eBooks and may already be thinking about abandoning traditional paperback and hard cover divisions in favor of e-book production.
* E-books are so cheap to mass produce - it's as simple as copying a master computer file-that the relatively huge cost of printing paperbacks and hard cover books may no longer make sense.
* Kindle and iPad sales are skyrocketing as readers discover that their high purchase prices are still lower than the total cost of the many paperback books they will read.
* A younger generation, already accustomed to downloading and a digital world, will expect content in electronic form, just as their parents saw paperbacks as the avenue to cheaper content.

And the latest from Amazon - e-book sales have already surpassed hardcover sales and will surpass paperback sales in 2011. Paperbacks have always sold more copies because of their lower cost, but without that advantage they are disappearing from the marketplace.
According to industry statistics, e-book sales have skyrocketed in the last ten years because of improved e-book readers and ease of downloads. The Association of American Publishers estimates that physical book sales generated $24.3 billion in 2008, down 3% from 2007. Self-published and ghostwritten books, however, are increasing in number.