ETextbooks
Introduction
eTextbooks represent an incremental innovation in educational materials, that is largely just the digital copy of a printed textbook. However, looking at how publishers focus on eTextbook production and sales is important for understanding the evolution of the industry and new market forces. Furthermore, the market for eTextbooks is connected to the emergence of disruptive technologies like e-Book Readers, which could have a more dramatic effect on the industry.
Market Dynamics
In 2007, the major textbook publishers coordinated to found CourseSmart, a central online enterprise for selling the publishers' eTextbooks. This is in contrast to Flat World Knowledge, a startup publisher that produces customizable eTextbooks that can be viewed on their website for free. Flat World sells supplementary materials in digital and print form, as well as print and pdf versions of their eTextbooks.
CourseSmart and Flat World Knowledge both compete with Amazon's marketplace for its Kindle.
Sales
According to Simba Information, during the 2008-09 academic year, "sales of e-texts through CourseSmart, the cooperative sampling platform for digital textbooks and e- commerce site, increased 600%" (Mickey and Meaney 2009, 9).
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