Shortly before the Association of American Publishers announced a decline in e-book revenues for the first six months of 2017, Pearson published its January through September financial report , which includes commentary on the current fiscal health of Penguin Random House (Pearson currently holds a 25% stake in PRH; the remaining 75% is held by Bertelsmann).
The report indicates both "slightly" low sales and "ongoing modest declines in demand for e-books." This is in line with what was reported by AAP--a 4.6% decline in e-book revenues in the first half of the year.
It's important to note, though, that published figures on the health of the e-book industry often exclude Amazon's sales figures. The company instead reports its book sales in more general categories on its own platforms. The industry does not yet have a clear picture of how e-books fare outside of the hands of the 1,200 publishers included in AAP's sales reports.
By: Ellen Duffer (Forbes).
Photo: Good e-Reader.
Review: Emerging Market Formulations & Research Unit, Flagship Records.