Tablet, E-Reader Ownership Spikes, E-Book Prices Fall
As consumers snapped up more and more tablets and e-readers this holiday season, e-book prices started to dip.
According to a recent study from the Pew Internet and American Life Project, 29% of Americans owned at least one tablet or e-reader at the beginning of January -- an increase of 18% compared to December.
Pew cites cheaper offerings from both Amazon and Barnes and Noble with their respective Kindle Fire and Nook Tablet contributing to the holiday surge. Another factor was lower models of the Kindle and Nook being sold for under $100 during the season.
And some good news for those who did receive a tablet or e-reader, book prices have come down. The Wall Street Journal reported the trend is emerging nearly two years after book publishers pushed for increased prices on newly released e-books.
Amazon.com, for example, is offering the Kindle Daily Deal, where titles can be purchased online for under $1 for 24-hour periods. Other publishing houses, such as Cemetary Dance Publications, are offering subscriptions on their horror and dark suspense titles, to make all e-books available for $49 through the end of the year, the WSJ reported.