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HarperCollins Reports Revenues Down, eBook Revenues Up – a Sign That the eBook Market Hasn’t Flattened

The newly reorganized NewsCorp released a quarterly statement today, and the news from their publishing house is mixed.

HarperCollins reported that revenues for  the quarter ending  on 30 September were down 7% to $328 million as compared to the same period last year. EBITDA (earnings before interest taxes, depreciation and amortization), however, rose 8% to $43 million.

The increase in profit has been attributed to increasing ebook sales. HC’s total ebook revenue increased by 30% over last year. eBooks made up 22% of overall book publishing revenues last quarter, up from 15% a year ago.

That 30% growth rate is worth noting because it tends to contradict the claims made by Nicholas Carr, Digital Book World, and others that the ebook market is flattening out. HarperCollins' data doesn’t bear that out, and since pundits are working from (at best) incomplete data sets and/or estimates it would be a good idea to hold off on proclaiming the end of boom ebooks.

PW

 

 

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Comments


flyingtoastr November 12, 2013 um 10:24 am

One publisher doesn’t make a trend. HC may be getting more ebook sales, but that doesn’t necessarily mean that the entire market is up. More data required.

Nate Hoffelder November 12, 2013 um 10:48 am

True, but I just found a second point. I’m working on a post.


If the eBook Market is Flattening Out Then Why Are eBook Sales Up at HarperCollins and Hachette? – The Digital Reader November 12, 2013 um 12:11 pm

[…] Yesterday HarperCollins mentioned in their quarterly report that their ebook revenues for the first fiscal quarter increased significantly over that of the same period last year. They cited that ebooks now made up about 22% of revenue ($72 million, by my calculations) up from 15% last year ($53 million, again by my calculations). […]


Caleb Mason November 12, 2013 um 4:39 pm

Writing is all about point of view. In business, the point of view of those on the inside tends to look fairly ridiculous to those on the outside. Case in point: all the people in the old photography print business who were convinced print photo declines would be minor. From a distance and not from an industry insider, I actually think HarperCollins seems to be moving forward as well as, maybe better than, other large publishers. Good for them if they can make the transition crossing the chasm. It’s a treacherous journey and not everyone will make it across the bridge.


Tre grossi gruppi vedono crescere la vendita di eBook in US – Finzioni June 4, 2014 um 3:43 pm

[…] HarperCollins si aggiunge a questo coro: durante l'ultimo quarto dell'anno, le vendite di ebook sarebbero aumentate fino al 30% rispetto allo stesso periodo del 2012. […]


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