The invention of movable type was the biggest thing that had happened to the publishing industry for decades until eBooks came along. EBook sellers have been experiencing incredible growth for years. The following are some trends in the eBook industry that might shape the future of publishing.

Enter the enhanced eBook

It is now clear that consumers love eBooks because they are convenient. However, most eBooks are similar to print books but in the near future they will be more than just plain text. Modern eBooks will have many interactive elements such as photos, videos, audio clips, etc. These features are already being developed and some current eBooks have them.

Many interactive elements of eBooks are still being developed and in the near future we might see eBooks that adapt to cater to a reader’s needs or preferences. In the near future we might see novels that connect readers with other people reading them as well as creating live conversations with groups of users and authors of the novels.

The device war will soon end

There are so many e-readers that consumers are often confused when they are looking for e-readers. There are more than 20 dedicated e-readers and some people wonder if an e-reader is even necessary. Many people consider their phones to be enough to read just about anything. E-readers are important but many consumers are more worried about the user experience than the e-reader they buy. The user experience is determined by software and not hardware. Some e-reader companies such as Kindle are developing software that also works on other e-readers. Consumers should now care about portability of books from one e-reader to another, and being able to access a full catalog of books.

EBook prices might increase

Amazon was the first to popularize the $9.99 price tag for bestselling titles. This move made many consumers start using the Kindle as well as reading more eBooks. Traditional publishers, however, can’t sell their books at that price point because they spend a lot of money developing content whether or not it’s on eBooks. The introduction of interactive eBooks will also make the case for traditional publishers because those kinds of eBooks take a lot of effort and expertise to develop. We might therefore experience an increase in prices of certain types of eBooks based on their features.

Watch out for the contextual up sell

EBooks are now becoming more interactive than ever. Imagine a person reading an eBook based on a complex topic and he/she gets stuck at some point. If the eBook has interactive features, the reader can click on a help button and be directed to the publisher’s website where he/she can download a tutorial that elaborates on the difficult part where the reader is stuck. Now imagine that the publisher offers tutorials and other helpful tools for a little sum of money. By selling more items within the context of eBooks, publishers will be able to increase average revenue per user.