Predictions for 2010

I see that the Bookseller is serving up predictions from the Industry high and mighty.
I am afraid I found the CEO utterances positively depressing.

The female CEOs used the opportunity for their own purposes, as:
1) a publicity tool (see Gail R's offering) for forthcoming Random titles.
2) a pat on the back and not so subliminal reminder to the publishing world by Victoria B of her involvement with Fourth Estate (see comment re Hilary Mantel's Wolf Hall published by Fourth Estate, the clever publisher founded by Ms Barnsley as opposed to cumbersome corporate HarperCollins).

As for Peter Field of Penguin, he looks like he is bobbing in an e-sea waiting to see where he will wash up. His statement:
'Digital printing will also make an impact, allowing smaller print runs, which will be important as physical books are replaced by e-books. Although initially they may be a bit incremental, in the long run e-books will be substitional.'

I can't quite figure out how e-books will allow smaller print runs? Does he mean that the e-book will be published before the physical book? As consumers are telling us that they would only pay around £5 for an e-book, how will this fund the smaller (and therefore more expensive) printruns?

Anyway, I am pondering my own predictions and will post them in a wee while.

Meanwhile, here is an interesting account of e-readers by a guest blogger on Scott Pack's Blog Me and My Big Mouth.