The world is changing. It must be if Andy Murray gets further in grand slams than Roger Federer or Rafael Nadal (at the time of writing Murray is, presuming he doesn’t prove the cynics correct, on his way to the final of the Australian Open).
However, our opening statement does not refer to the Great British Hope of tennis, but to Amazon’s announcement that, based on latest financial results, total sales of Kindle eBooks have overtaken that of paperbacks in the US. The world of publishing is changing (I know we could have said that, but then it would sound less melodramatic and less like a line from The Lord of the Rings).
This, undeniably, marks a significant moment in the development of the publishing industry, as the popularity of eBooks now has a measurable figure. In a statement, the company announced how many eBooks have been sold recently, even if it is only an estimate.
Although these figures do announce the arrival of eBooks as a serious consideration to publishers, how they will affect the industry in the long-term remains an uncertainty dictated by the consumer. Despite the fact that these results refer only to US sales and not to the UK, they do show that shoppers embrace choice.
Bearing this in mind and always striving to keep up with modern innovation, we at Biteback have decided to listen to the cries, read the placards and give the people what they want. Following-up from popular electronic editions of our coalition titles (from David Laws and Rob Wilson) and Brown at 10 by Anthony Seldon and Guy Lodge, next week we will bring you an eBook of our new title, Peter Sissons’s autobiography When One Door Closes.
When One Door Closes is the fascinating story of Sissons’s life, beginning in Liverpool at school with The Beatles, through his time as an international political correspondent, until eventually reaching the heights of any journalistic career, by becoming the face of ITN and BBC news broadcasts. He recounts working for these news giants, the controversy that followed his reports on the death of the Queen Mother, and the experience of being shot in both legs.
Order When One Door Closes by Peter Sissons here for £17.99
The eBook will be available from Amazon and Waterstone's, priced £15.99.