Extended abstract: Perceptions and e-textbooks: Insights into challenges faced by publishers

Electronic books - or e-books - is a general term that refers to the publication, distribution, and reading of all forms of publications online, not just books, but also newspapers, magazines, and journals. Because they cost less to publish than the materials they replace and do not require printing, shipping, or warehousing, e-books are believed to offer significant convenience, cost-savings and green alternatives for consumers and increased publishing flexibility and an opportunity to revive sagging readership levels for publishers. As a result, some industry insiders see ebooks as the inevitable future of publishing, especially in textbook publishing, offering publishers the opportunity to more easily published revisions while reducing the admittedly costly investment students must make in textbooks. Recent sales figures suggest that, several years after the introduction of e-books, they are still struggling to gain a foothold on the textbook market. This study explores why.