Digital Textbooks to Pass 'Tipping Point' Within Five Years

BOSTON, April 19 /PRNewswire/ -- More than 18% of new textbook revenue in the Higher Education and Career Education markets will come from digital textbooks by the year 2014, according to a new study by Xplana.  By 2014, annual revenues from digital textbooks will exceed $1 billion.  This shift in sales will cause the publishing industry to overhaul the traditional textbook production processes.

The study, "Digital Textbook Sales in U.S. Higher Education – A Five-Year Projection," projects annual sales growth and market trends for digital textbooks over the next five years. It is based on private surveys conducted by Xplana and its parent company, MBS Direct, as well as other industry and market research.

According to the report, the anticipated growth in digital textbook sales will create opportunities for new publishers to enter the textbook market due to fundamental changes in purchasing patterns.  The rise in the availability of digital textbooks will also make free, open educational resources easier to incorporate into standard curriculum materials.  

"Everyone wants to know when the digital textbook market for Higher Education will hit the 'tipping point,'" says lead author Rob Reynolds, Director of Product Design and Research for Xplana. "Our research shows that digital textbooks will begin disrupting the market once their sales surpass 13% of print textbooks sold. Our estimates show digital textbook sales crossing that mark within five years, although it will likely happen even sooner."

According to Reynolds, at this "tipping point" textbook publishers will be forced to re-design their approach so as to emphasize digital products over print.  To remain successful, publishers will need to alter all aspects of textbook functionality, including both the design and the content.  

The full report can be downloaded from the Xplana research blog – The Xplanation (http://blog.xplana.com/reports/)

Xplana is a service offering of MBS Direct focused on developing digital learning solutions for both the Higher Education and K-12 markets. MBS Direct is a division of MBS Textbook Exchange, the largest used textbook wholesaler, bookstore systems provider, and virtual bookstore distribution service in the United States. MBS Direct provides learning materials (print and digital) and virtual bookstores for private K-12 and Higher Education institutions, and distributes digital textbooks for leading educational publishers with a catalog of more than 25,000 e-book titles from 34 academic publishers.

For more information, please consult Xplana and MBS Direct Web sites: www.xplana.com, www.thexplanation.com, and www.mbsdirect.net.

CONTACT: Rob Reynolds, 573-239-9025

SOURCE Xplana