Kindle proves digital books sell better than physical books

Amazon is shrieking (not literally) with glee today. It has announced that books purchased for the Kindle have now surpassed physical book sales. Amazon said that number includes both hardcover and paperback books. As one of the leaders in digital book distribution, Amazon has proven that physical book sales will continue to decline as e-readers and tablets become more popular and affordable.

Amazon said it has sold 105 Kindle books for every 100 physical books. This figure does not include free Kindle books. Amazon said if it did count free Kindle books, the digital to physical book ratio would be even further apart. The physical books that Amazon is including in its report also do not have Kindle editions available. This helps to keep Amazon’s claims nice and balanced.

Amazon also took this opportunity to discuss the success of the Kindle with Special Offers. Amazon’s little experiment with an e-reader subsidized by advertisements has proven to be successful. It’s apparently out-selling all the other Kindles in the United States right now. In true Amazon fashion, it isn’t revealing how many Kindle with Special Offers it has sold.

Read [Engadget] Read [ZDNet]