E-Textbooks in Higher Education 2010-2011

E-Textbooks in Higher Education 2010-2011 is a new report from Simba Information that examines the lessons learned from the various implementations of e-textbooks on college campuses in the 2009-2010 academic year and the portend for the coming years.

For this report, Simba tapped reactions and experiences on college campuses, as well as insights of vendors, publishers and industry observers.

Topics in this report include:

• Proliferation of e-readers and applications for electronic devices,
• Current penetration of e-textbooks on college campuses and growth projections,
• Popular types of instructional materials in e-textbook formats,
• How e-textbooks are impacting traditional marketing and sales channels,
• Impact of open-source textbooks on traditional publishing of e-textbooks.

E-textbooks burst on the scene in the 2009-2010 academic year with renewed vigor. While there may be a learning curve in the acceptance of e-textbooks, their overall impact is expected to be extensive.

Thus, E-Textbooks in Higher Education 2010-2011 is a critical tool for publishers, marketers and business developers in understanding market needs, trends and challenges.

College E-Textbook Market to Grow 50% in 2010, New Simba Report Finds

E-textbooks are finding their legs in the college market, growing at an estimated compound annual growth rate of nearly 49% through 2013, when they will account for more than 11% of textbook sales, according to the newly released E-Textbooks in Higher Education report from media industry forecast and analysis firm Simba Information.

“The digital transformation has infused new dynamism in the college publishing industry in the past year,” said Kathy Mickey, senior analyst/managing editor of Simba’s Education Group. “In the throes of a struggling economy, new devices and new formats have roiled the pot. Students, instructors and publishers are experimenting with the way textbooks and other instructional materials are created, marketed, distributed and used.”

New print textbooks continue to dominate the college instructional materials market at a projected $4.46 billion in 2010. But the hard-charging e-textbook segment will grow about 50% to an estimated $181 million, according to Simba’s most recent strategic market report.

E-Textbooks in Higher Education provides insight into:

• The quickly changing distribution models for college instructional materials;
• The role of learning management systems in marketing and distribution;
• The disruptive potential of open access materials and textbook rental programs on e-textbook segment growth.

One focus of E-Textbooks in Higher Education is a Simba analysis of the lessons learned from the series of e-reader pilot programs in the 2009-2010 academic year. “A sure sign of how willing instructors and students are to experiment with new ways of accessing textbooks they need is the spate of pilot programs for Apple’s iPad, even after the tepid reception to the Kindle DX on campuses,” Mickey said.

An appendix to the report offers an overview of e-book format evolution and methods used by consumers to view and purchase e-books—an additional tool for publishers, marketers and business development professionals in understanding market needs, trends and challenges.

Additional information about the report, and how to order it, can be found at: http://www.simbainformation.com/pub/2523126.html.

About Simba Information:
Simba Information is widely recognized as the leading authority for market intelligence in the media and publishing industry. Simba's extensive information network delivers top quality, independent perspective on the people, events and alliances shaping the media and information industry. Simba publishes newsletters and research reports that provide key decision-makers at more than 15,000 client companies around the globe with timely news, analysis, exclusive statistics and proprietary industry forecasts. For more information, please visit: www.simbainformation.com.