E-Reader Sales Slack as Paper Books Reclaim Market Share

Have an e-reader collecting dust on a shelf somewhere? You’re not alone. Recent data from the Publisher’s Association indicate a major market trend back toward tree ware, as e book and e-reader sales continue to slump.

- Jessica Hall

It’s not clear whether the enduring popularity of tablets might be responsible for some of this change; if tablets have usurped some e-reader market share, that could explain things. According to Euromonitor International, a consumer research group, sales of e-readers such as the Amazon Kindle and Barnes & Noble Nook have declined by more than 40 percent since 2011.

“E-readers, which was once a promising category, saw its sales peak in 2011. Its success was short-lived, as it spiraled downwards within a year with the entry of tablets,” Euromonitor said in a research note.