Parable and Mardel launched in partnership with Ingram/Spring Arbor’s digital services division, joining Berean and Christian Supply. Signature Websites launched its ebook capabilities in a partnership with eChristian (@eChristianInc), formerly Christianaudio.com. Other independent bookstores sell ebooks in partnership with Google eBooks.
Ebook selling in brick-and-mortar stores is a main topic at CBA’s Next 2012: Meeting the Challenge, an event in cooperation with Atlanta’s AmericasMart (@AmericasMartATL) gift mart show Jan. 12-13.
Ebook sales in general continue to grow. For the first 10 months of 2011, ebook sales were up 131.1%, to $807.7 million.
As for physical books, according to Nielsen BookScan (@NielsenWire), sales of print books in the stores it covers totaled 12.0 million the week ending Nov. 27 and then jumped to 15.5 million units the week ending Dec. 4. The following week, units rose again, to 18.6 million, and increased 26% the week of Dec. 18, to 23.4 million.
Compared to the same week in 2010, unit sales the week of Dec. 18 were down 14%, with the closing of Borders and the growth of ebook sales likely the two biggest factors in the decline. During the last week, print backlist was doing better than frontlist, with backlist sales down 9% compared to a year ago and frontlist off 19%.
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