That’s right. E-books only account for 1 percent of all book sales in Germany.
Why is this? Let us count the ways…
Germans believe they cannot read as well on digital reading devices. This is because they have never held a digital reading device in their hands, much less tried to read from one, but still.
Germans are convinced that they are “better” at reading from paper (I don’t make this stuff up, people).
Like savages who believe that a camera captures your soul, Germans believe that an e-book reader captures the souls of the books it, uh, holds captive (OK, that part I did make up).
But the biggest reason of all Germans don’t like e-books and e-book readers is that Germans don’t like technology. Technology that isn’t German, I mean.
“In Germany we’re still at 1 percent, but that’s already an increase of 77 percent from the previous year.”
PS: Of course low e-book sales in Germany might also have to do with the fact that German book prices are set by the German culture mafia (by the publishers!? = you pay the same artificially high price everywhere) so they get to set the e-book prices, too (you can pay up to $25 for one). And although printed books are exempt from Germany’s 19 percent value added tax, e-books aren’t. Not that the system is rigged or anything. I’m just saying.
Observing Hermann 
I’ll always read real books for the same reason I will always listen to vinyl. It’s better that way.
You old fogey, Ian. <;-) (I am, too) Analog, digital, what's the difference? You can do both, you know. These e-books don't replace real books, they're just, what's the word? A supplement? The more you read the better.
Oh, and with vinyl. I refused to buy CDs the first five or ten years there at the start. Where did it get me? What did it matter? The world moves on with or without us.
You have a point there, and it’s one of greatvalue to German culture. The world changes whether they like it or not.