The ABCs of Kids & E-books

Before apps, before video games, before television, there were books. In a world largely focused on what's new and what's next, who would have thought that the original kid’s medium would become one of the hottest topics in the kid’s media landscape? But, over the past few years, the market for children’s books has experienced a drastic shift as the introduction of ebooks has digitized the reading experience and injected new excitement into the market. For the second year running, sales of children’s ebooks have achieved rapid growth - growth that is far outpacing paperback sales, and is showing no signs of slowing down. However, despite rapidly growing acceptance and excitement about this market, surprisingly little is known about kids and ebooks.

How many kids are e-reading? What e-readers do they have access to and which ones do they use? Covering the vast array of e-reading devices, this report will help the industry understand how children aged 2 to 13 interact with ebooks. Based on the results of a nationally representative survey of over 1200 parents, it reveals how much time children spend reading ebooks, how much they are willing to pay for ebooks, what motivates them to select an ebook, and their e-reading habits and preferences. It explores key trends, such as the proliferation of tablet devices, digital books compared to print, and perceptions of apps vs. ebooks.

This report will help the industry understand the emerging children’s ebook market, guiding the trade in making informed product development and marketing decisions. Through our line of market research, The ABC’s of Kids and Ebooks, we hope to be a key resource for developers of children’s ebooks, and to act as a benchmark for change as the market for children’s ebooks continues to evolve.