EBooks: changing the publishing industry, PwC

Turning the Page: The Future of eBooks

15

Club and subscription models as well as 

product combinations are conceivable 

Club or subscription models, in which the 

consumer purchases an eReader for a low 

or subsidized price and pays a certain flat

rate per month for books, are considered 

feasible by most industry experts. This 

would increase penetration of the devices 

in the market, and sales of eBooks might 

surge, assuming that the devices are 

indeed used for reading books. However, 

publishers consider that the specific design

of such models might be an obstacle to 

market success. There are problems, for 

instance, with regard to legal issues and 

authors’ fees.

Most experts believe there will also be a 

market for jointly distributing eBooks and 

printed books. It is also conceivable that 

consumers might read an eBook on their 

mobile reading device during the day when 

traveling and that they would then have 

the printed version on their desk when 

they arrive home. Such solutions would 

be attractive, for instance, in conjunction 

with a cloud model, in which consumers 

acquire the rights to access digital books 

and would be able to access their eBooks 

with any device with online capability via 

their secured online access. In this case, the 

book would not be stored on the devices; it 

would be stored in the cloud, as it would be 

the case with Google Digital Editions. 

No advertising banners between the lines

Advertising might also be integrated in 

eBooks to reduce the prices of electronic 

books or to open up new sources of 

revenue. However, most respondents 

agree that such models could only 

function in conjunction with electronic 

sales of newspapers and magazines. Here, 

new types of digital ad models (beyond 

conventional online display and search) 

might present ad opportunities that are 

more appealing to consumers, advertisers, 

and publishers, such as a video pre-roll 

prior to a download or the placement of 

logos, ads, or coupons on the device home 

screen.

Not only consumers may not accept 

advertising in eBooks, also advertisers 

are unlikely find advertising in eBooks

attractive. Devices on the market lack the 

functionality to implement advertising. 

And authors may take a critical stance 

with regard to advertising banners in 

their books. Only some special interest 

publishers could imagine using advertising 

in eBooks.