EBooks: changing the publishing industry, PwC

2 

The Digital Book: 

Market of the Future?

The discussion concerning the viability 

and chances of success of eBooks is not 

new. In recent decades, there have been 

talks as to when and whether the eBook 

will overtake the printed book in terms of 

popularity. Following music, newspapers, 

magazines, television, and radio, the 

digital transformation has now also caught 

up with the book industry. The market is 

undergoing a period of change – and is 

restructuring itself.

2.1 

eBooks 

eBooks are digital versions of printed 

books, which are distributed through 

the Internet. These files can be read on

eReaders, tablets, personal computers, 

smartphones, and also on some mobile 

phones.

eBooks can be published in a variety of 

file formats. In the United States, there

is not much debate about formats, as 

the industry leaders – Amazon, Barnes 

& Noble, and Apple – allow customers to 

read their purchased books on a variety of 

devices. This multiple- application strategy 

mitigates the problem of competing file

formats, as consumers rarely need to move 

a book saved in one format to a device that 

requires a different format. In Europe, 

where the eBook and eReader environment 

is less mature, publishers continue to 

discuss the merits of different file formats.

Formats are especially important to 

customers, as few eReader or eBook 

companies in Europe provide the multiple-

device convenience and flexibility as their

US peers. That puts the onus on buyers to 

understand the file type, and whether it is

compatible with their devices.

At this time, PDF and ePUB are the most 

common eBook file formats. PDF was

created by Adobe in 1993 and is used 

primarily for special interest books. ePUB is 

generally used for mass market eBooks.

3

Here is a brief discussion of the two file

formats:

ePUB is an extensible markup 

•

language, like the HTML used for 

websites. The text adapts to a user’s 

device. If the user wants a larger 

typeface, the text will be redrawn on 

the screen. In contrast, a PDF document 

is like a series of photographs: every 

page will show up on the screen exactly 

as the designer laid it out, but the 

reader may find it difficult to enlarge or

decrease the type size.

Current situation

1 

According to Allensbacher Market and Advertising Media Analysis 2008, 45% of women and 29% of men use books daily or several times a week. And most books are bought by women 

(66% compared with 52% of men).

2 

PwC: Global entertainment and media outlook: 2010-2014, 2010.

3 

ePUB is an open standard for eBooks, based on XMLM; it has been defined by the International Digital Publishing Forum (IDPF) and replaced the older standard Open eBook (OEB) or Open 

eBook Publication Structure (OEBPS). In addition to dynamic text adjustment, ePUB files can be individually adapted to a certain extent and support vector graphics. ePUB is also compatible 

with Digital Rights Management systems. There are plans for further development: Accordingly, the IDPF has set up a commission which is expected to enable advertising and videos to be 

displayed in ePUB and is also expected to permit standard or interactive add-ons.

---