German Buch News: 65,000 Ebooks Sold in Germany So Far in 09

By Siobhan O’Leary

What’s in a number? The GfK (Gesellschaft für Konsumforschung), a market research and consumer insight agency, recently announced that 65,000 e-books were sold in Germany in the first half of 2009. Boersenblatt editor Michael Roesler-Graichen analyzes the significance of this figure, stating that most industry insiders are agnostic as to whether this should be seen as a success or a failure.

Regardless of what the number actually means, it does demonstrate just how small the e-book market in Germany is at the moment. But, as Roesler-Graichen points out, with new wireless e-readers and a larger selection of titles on the horizon as e-books and distribution becomes more efficient, we will soon look back and see this as merely the start of something far more significant.