E-books race ahead of print editions, but for good?

Amazon.com sold more e-books than traditional books over the past three months. Sony, meanwhile, has also said that sales of e-books have grown steadily, according to a report in The Wall Street Journal.

The numbers are a surprise – but not that much of one. Apple's iPad has obviously made a splash, and Amazon has lowered the price of the Kindle e-reader to less than $200.

Publishers are taking a wait-and-see approach to see if e-books have pushed ahead of their traditional counterparts for good. David Young, CEO of Lagardere SCA's Hachette Book Group, told the Journal: “We need a few more months under our belts.”