EBooks: changing the publishing industry, PwC

1.6 

Looking to the Future

All experts agree: eBooks and printed 

books will co-exist. In certain cases, 

printed editions will be replaced by digital 

editions, but in other cases both media will 

complement each other. In the long term, 

only one representative of the industry 

expects that demand will dry up for printed 

books. Most experts believe eBooks will 

partially replace the paperback. This is 

probable particularly in the case of special 

interest and travel books and in areas in 

which only sections of books are read. 

On the other hand, experts are less 

optimistic with regard to printed 

newspapers and periodicals. The vote in 

this case is by no means clear. Tablets such 

as the iPad will ensure that newspapers 

and periodicals can be attractively 

displayed in digital form and that they 

can be purchased or acquired as part of a 

subscription at any time as a result of the 

integrated Internet access. Accordingly, 

experts expect that the newspaper and 

periodical publishers will have to devote 

more attention to the digitizing process 

because, according to the majority, some 

editions will be replaced by apps.