The Plot Twist: E-Book Sales Slip, and Print Is Far From Dead - The New York Times

My e-book purchase rate is down due to higher prices (e.g., The Master Algorithm, which looks promising, is currently $19.22 for dead-tree edition and $15.39 for Kindle; I suppose somebody has to subsidize those $50 Amazon Fire tablets, but at that e-book price level, I'll dust off my library card...), the ability to easily read free (and often extensive) samples, and Blinkist, a nonfiction book summary service

"Now, there are signs that some e-book adopters are returning to print, or becoming hybrid readers, who juggle devices and paper. E-book sales fell by 10 percent in the first five months of this year, according to the Association of American Publishers, which collects data from nearly 1,200 publishers. Digital books accounted last year for around 20 percent of the market, roughly the same as they did a few years ago.

E-books’ declining popularity may signal that publishing, while not immune to technological upheaval, will weather the tidal wave of digital technology better than other forms of media, like music and television."

The Plot Twist: E-Book Sales Slip, and Print Is Far From Dead - The New York Times