Yeah, me again. I meant to get a guest blogger, but was so wrapped up in my revisions that I forgot :/
So … this is going to be a fun day! I’m sharing information about book buying habits. I’m going to give away ONE autographed copy of STOLEN to a lucky commenter. I’ll post the winner here over the weekend, so make sure you check back.
There was a fascinating article over at my former publisher’s website today about trends in book buying from a Bowker presentation.. It was a fairly comprehensive survey, it appears, covering 2012 and the first quarter of 2013. But without crosstabs and more data, it’s hard to say how accurate. Still, it was professionally compiled so it’s worth looking at.
It’s interesting in many different ways, here are the highlights:
In units, 22% of total books are bought in ebook format, 27% in hardcover, and 45% in paperback. (paper includes mass market and trade paper.) What I think is interesting is that everyone says mass market is dying, and maybe it is, but it’s still a very viable format.
While 22% of books are bought digitally, 42% of books are bought from a website. This means that people are ordering physical books on-line. That’s huge. (One caveat — I searched the website but couldn’t figure out how the data was compiled. They used a large group of consumers, which is always good, but it appears that they asked questions via on-line surveys, which means that it disproportionally favors those who are regularly on-line. There are still a lot of people who only use the Internet for email or work, if that.)
The major subgenres was another interesting tidbit. It’s split both fiction and nonfiction, but I only care about adult fiction which makes up 42% of all units sold (basically, nearly half the books sold are adult fiction.) “major subgenres” of adult fiction are:
7% Espionage/Thriller
6% Romance
5% Mystery/Detective
5% General Fiction
4% Literary classics
3% Fantasy
(These are percentages based on ALL books sold, so if looking at just adult fiction, double the numbers to get a more accurate representation.) It’s interesting that they split thriller and mystery … but combined that’s 12% of total books sold, and @24% of fiction sold, outselling romance 2-to-1. (But is it? This is where cross-tabs would have been helpful because there’s no way of telling whether those genre percentages were based on DOLLARS or UNITS. Mysteries and thrillers tend to be more expensive hardcover and trade books, while romance tends to be cheaper mass market and digital books.)
YA makes up HALF of the units sold under “juvenile fiction.” Wow!
Another interesting point: 60% of book buyers are women, but they buy 65% of books sold. (I think this is down from past surveys.) However, women only spend 58% of the book buying dollars. This means–I think–that women are buying more mass market and digital books, while men buy more hardcover (this holds true because men tend to buy more history, biographies, NF, etc which are published primarily in hardcover.) So women read more, and men are more expensive π
But one of the most interesting points was at the bottom of the survey. Readers who buy PRINT books “learn” about the books based on displays in stores or browsing shelves. Readers who buy EBOOKS learn most about books from word of mouth, specifically friends and family. Word of mouth was second or print buyers, and online samples was second for digital books.
All in all, it was an informative survey that would have meant more if I had more crosstabs and knew the methodology. (I took statistics in college and know that methodology and cross tabs are where all the valuable data really is!)
Anyway, thought I’d share with you!
To enter for a chance to win STOLEN, tell me where you last purchased a book and whether it was digital or print and where you bought it and why — was it an impulse purchase? A planned purchase? A recommendation from a friend?
The last book I bought was yesterday — I ordered a print copy of JOYLAND by Stephen King via Amazon. I picked it because I love Stephen King and this looks like a classic King story … without being 1,000 pages! How did I know it was out? Well, I was checking my Amazon ranking on STOLEN (yes, I can be a bit obsessed) and saw JOYLAND in one of the lists I was looking at. Thought, wow, it’s out! Gotta get it π
Allison Brennan is a New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of nearly three dozen romantic thrillers and mysteries, including the Lucy Kincaid series and the Max Revere series. She lives in Northern California with her husband, five children, and assorted pets.
I bought Kylie Brant’s Chasing Evil e-book last week from Kobo.
I got it because I loved her Mindhunter series and she writes great, dark romantic suspense π
Since buying my ereader I only buy ebooks π groaning shelves and lack of space etc . . so please don’t enter me for the giveaway, as I can’t get your books in e-book here in the UK *sob* so haven’t read any of them! *Gasp*
I’m sorry Willa! I’m working on rectifying that. My UK publisher hasn’t released my books digitally, and I’m fighting for the rights back.
I love Kylie π
I went and got Richelle Mead’s Gameboard of the Gods today in paperback from the local Big W. I think I’ve read all her books so far and was looking forward to its release.
I read a variety of ebooks and paperbacks. I prefer an actual physical book in my hand to an ebook, but its really quite impractical in terms of storage and the like.
I do buy most of my books online, as some of the authors I love to read (and mostly have discovered through this blog!) don’t seem to be released in Australia, so really its the only way I can actually get them!
My daughter like Richelle Mead π
Great post, Allison. The last book I bought was an impulse birthday present for myself. I saw Deb Webb’s Rage on the shelf at Walmart and snagged it – since I had the first three and needed the fourth anyway.
And I heard about it because I won the other three from Deb here at MSW. They were all awesome, btw.
Deb is FABULOUS. I love her and her books!
I just bought 2 hard cover and 3 paperback books from Amazon. My local book stores would have had to order them and well, I don’t like to wait for books. I keep a list of all the authors I read. Several times a year I go through it and check to see if they have any books coming out. I also, go through book stores and search my favorite sections. I mostly buy mystery, romance including paranormal, and romantic suspense.
I don’t like to wait either … π
The very last time was yesterday at Target. It was not an impulse buy as I had planned to buy them as the authors are automatic buys for me. If Target didn’t have them I would have bought them on line at Amazon (as an actual book not a digital book).
I love Target π Especially for my auto-buys.
With B and N and their troubles and the indies having only limited stock, I feel the impetus to buy online, whether is digital format or print, will keep rising. How easy it is to search a huge inventory, then buy with the click of a button–and know you can have that coveted story tomorrow at the latest!
That being said, I find discoverability to still be an issue no matter where I do my shopping. And this will be the key issue for both writers and readers going forward.
Interesting numbers! women still drive book buying, but I think the numbers are down as well. Perhaps more men participate now because they find interent shopping to be to their liking?
I know also that I buy buy more books now than I did before–I can throw them on the Kindle app on my iPad (I travel a TON so this is just much easier).
I think you’re right — though I think indies will find their niche market. I still want to own an indie bookstore — I’ve wanted my own bookstore since I was a teenager. My first job was at a bookstore. I’d have it like the Tattered Cover with a little coffee place (Peets or Starbucks) and a place for people to read and hang out. I love Mysterious Galaxy, but would want something a little broader and, again, with coffee and food π
Me, too! A bakery…and some wine and tapas in the evening…..just a place to hang.
Alcohol license … yeah, wine tasting, I can totally see it now …
I’m going to go with the last book that arrived at my house. Alafair Burke’s new one arrived last friday. I had pre-ordered a signed copy from my favorite indie: Seattle Mystery Bookshop. Since I sent them an email it probably counts as an online purchase, but that’s where I think the survey gets muddy. How do auto-buys from indies like Seattle fit into the mix? They are wonderful about keeping buy cards for customers. You tell them I want everything by author x and it magically shows up soon after the publication date. (Unless you are me, then you are a little obsessive about confirming those auto-buys.)
I still prefer to buy books in a bookstore. I like the feeling I get when I walk in. I like the mystery of finding things I never expected.
I think that books you buy through indies, even online, count under the “indie” stores in the survey, but I don’t know. I don’t have access to the methodology! Wish I did, I love statistics.
I’m buying JOYLAND as well. I heard Stephen King talk about the book on the news. He said he would love for people to go into a bookstore and buy it off the rack. But since I live in the middle of nowhere, I am waiting till the end of the month when I can walk into a bookstore and do just that. π
Well, I bought it off Amazon because I don’t know when I’ll be able to get to a store …
I auto-buy’d (pretend that’s a word) all of the Hard Case Crime titles from Seattle Mystery Bookshop this year. Joyland just hasn’t arrived yet.
I tend to buy ebooks, because of convenienc. I live in a small town and the only place to buy books is Walmart or Kmart — and they offer very few books. The last ebook I bought was Concrete Evidence by Rachel Grant. This was a debut book but I follow her blog and wanted to support her first book. And I really liked it. I am not an impulse buyer. I will put a book on my wish list and check out reviews. I have a limited book fund but will snap up discounted ebooks from favorite authors. I will read favorite books over AMD over.
You are like my mom — she’s retired, has a limited budget, and re-reads her books all the time — plus buys her favorites. I like that the mass merch stores offer 25% off their books–I think it’s a great deal all the way around! (When I buy in stores, it’s BN or Target. I don’t like that BN in my area doesn’t support local authors like my Borders used to.)
I buy print books since I don’t have an e-reader and love print books. I buy my books at Amazon and the last on I bought was The glass Wives. I buy when I am in need of reading material and want to escape.
You’re like me — I buy almost all my books through Amazon or BN.com, but 90% of them are print books. If I buy digitally, I buy at iTunes because I love the format of the books for iPad, and the apps don’t quite cut it for me.
Hi Allison,
Interesting survey results. I did not know mysteries / thrillers was such a big chunk of the market. I see that male / female split in my own family. I buy so many books, so I tend to lean toward economical purchases, such as waiting for something to come out in paperback. The men in my family read fewer books but they will buy them in hard back. Also, I am the one who normally buys the books for the kids in my family.
My husband doesn’t read fiction — 95% of the books he reads are history or political. The last novel he read was a Michael Crichton book (other than my books!.) And yes, hardcover only. And I had never thought of that, but I buy most of the books for my kids. Sometimes Dan will pick up a book for Luke, but it’s always a science related book. Again, NF.
I order another paper copy of ENTWINED WITH YOU by Sylvia Day from Amazon.
I have the series in paper back and wanted to keep the same ‘format’ together. Sadly I have the ecopy and another paper back coming from The Book Depository but it is still 10 days away…lol
sandy(at)thereadingcafe(dot)com
Sylvia’s covers are amazing. I love them. I like to keep my series in the same format, which is why I still buy all of JD Robb’s books in hardcover. π
The last book I bought was from Amazon–a Kindle version of a Grace Burrowes romance, Ethan.
What an interesting post. I am surprised at the fiction classifications. I read thrillers (though not espionage) and I would have grouped them with mysteries. And I’m not surprised that women read more but men spend more. Thanks, Allison.
I don’t always understand the classifications, either, and I don’t like espionage books (I think those are really spy novels) … I love mysteries and thrillers, but not cat mysteries or international thrillers (with some exceptions.)
I went to B&N to browse recently and saw a new book by Molly Harper called A WITCHβS HANDBOOK OF KISSES AND CURSES. I bought it based on loving this series by Harper, loving her writing, loving the title, the cover, the summary, and the opening paragraph.
I also bought Sleeping with the Entity by Cat Devon which is the first book in a new series by Cathie Linz under a new name. It wasn’t supposed to be out until June 4th and it was the 1st so I was giddy with joy to find it on the shelves early.
I do buy e-books when I do late night browsing and find a book I just have to have immediately. But I find it better to buy in print since ebooks are as expensive as the print so it just doesnt make sense to not have the physical book for the same price.
Allison, I love your books. I’d love to win Stolen!
Hi Rachael! What a great title for Molly Harper’s book. Good covers and titles–packages–really work, especially in print.
I bought my daughter a Nook for her birthday. She is a huge reader, and I thought that she’d be able to use it (for school, this summer when she goes to a pre-college program, etc) but she STILL reads in print. She says it doesn’t feel right on the e-reader. Oh, well …
The last book I bought was from Amazon and only bought from there because I had won a gift card. It was Nancy Bush/Lisa Jackson Something Wicked.
I prefer to buy my books from anywhere other then Amazon since it appears that Amazon is trying to get a monopoly on book sales. I buy e-books from B&N since I have a Nook and book books from multiple places: Seattle Mystery Book, Walgreens, Wal-Mart, etc.
But won’t be buying anything for a while since I have to save money so I can take a small trip at the end of summer.
Vacation! Yes! … I know how you feel about Amazon. I think competition is healthy, and Amazon has done some good things for the business, and some not-so-good things. A monopoly would be very bad for readers AND authors.
My last book was Extinction Machine by Jonathan Maberry. Paperback at Barnes & Noble store. I love my ereaders but I LOVE browsing through a book store.
I could live in a bookstore …
Women read more, and men are more expensive. Love this!! π I hope mass-market paperback isn’t dying that’s my favorite kind of book! The last 2 books I bought were Law of Attraction by Allison Leotta, and The Strangler by William Landay in hardback at Goodwill. MSW introduced me to Allison and I had several people recommend William Landay to me last year. I buy most of my books at B/N in paperback and the ones i’m to impatient to wait for in hardback… I have to say though BN is starting to get really choosy about what books they get in when. I have had to wait 2 weeks after pub date for the last 3 Lucy books. And some newer authors they don’t carry at all. Most of the people at my BN run when I come in…. I’ve yelled at them lot the last few years!
Good for you about yelling — BN frustrates me, too! You’d think they would be MORE about customer service because of the pressure from Amazon, but no, they aren’t, and they never stock my books on time, and they don’t reorder in a timely manner. The last couple Lucy books sold out in 2 days, and they were without stock for nearly a week before more came in. Those are LOST SALES for them and for me. Very sad … my Borders always ordered extra because I was a local author, and I always sold a lot of books there — I know, because they would tell me and call me to sign stock when my books came in. I miss Borders π
I miss Borders, too. π
Interesting findings, Alli. And like you, I’d like to see the underlying “science.” (Yeah, I had statistics, too! π )
The last book I bought was on my wish list but was impulse because a certain author reminded me it was now available so I grabbed it right then! Yes, that would be STOLEN. π I’m almost exclusively digital now, including library loans if the books are available. I look for “word-of-mouth”–reviews, friends talking about books, updates from Goodreads, etc. The one independent book store in town has a non-existent romance section and the thriller/mystery section is given over to almost exclusively male writers. Sadly. Not that the men aren’t good, but I have my favorites among the female portion of the thriller community, too! B&N is an exercise in frustration for me. So Amazon is my go to. Interesting topic today. Now, right yourself a note to scare up the next guest blogger! π
Thanks Silver π … how about you as my next guest? Ha! Walked into that one, didn’t you? I need someone for June 13 …
Whoops, I meant June 18. I was looking at August …
LOL I did, did’t I! I can put something together if you’re serious. I’ll put it on my calendar as a tentative. Any requests for a topic?
Bought “HEART OF OBSIDIAN” by Nalini Singh. It was a pre-order, definitely planned. Just checked my note page where I list upcoming books I want, with the release date. 21 books with one due Feb 2014!
You’re good! π
The last book I bought was an e-book from Amazon. It was free and an impulse buy.
free is nice! π
Well the last time I bought books was yesterday and the day before. I bought Stolen at Walmart. But bought Jaci Burton latest books and a few others ay B&N. Books to read for the road for my move to a new state next week. I love reading an actual book. I buy from my IPad ebooks only if the book is available ebook format only. Like Reckless was. If they are only in hard covers I pick it up at my local library and read them that way too. Or download it from the library ebook format. I buy books I collect from my favorite authors. Which you are. Otherwise , I try to read at my local library. Husband of mine has me on a book budget. I love supporting my local library. You would think the numbers be a little higher since the whole 50 Shades crazy .
Thanks once again thanks for writing Sean story. i love it! Can’t wait for Cold Snap . Yes , I’m buying the paper book .
Thank you so much! I’m so glad you enjoyed it. π
Hi Allison, I’m an Amazon buyer about 90% of the time and mostly romance genre. Sometimes free, sometimes not. Sometimes impulse (yeah, most of the time free and impulse) and the last one was the 4th in a series and not an impulse. I do still belong to Book of the Month and so get that Hardcover (just one) every month and in large print whenever possible. WalMart, KMart, garage sales, library sales… oh yeah… anywhere there are books. Its an addiction and my college-aged daughter raids my shelves whenever she is home and even remembers (now) to return them.
I prefer reading from my kindle these days so I can make the print bigger but still would not give up paper books… ever!
You are like my mom! Except, she doesn’t have an e-reader π
Hmm…the last book I bought was an e-book I’d already read, but wanted to have saved on my server because I read it from the library the first time. Before that, I bought two boxes of books from the county library system purge, and put those in my classroom to try to get as many high school kids reading as I can. They were all across the genres of fiction (except erotica, obviously).
I don’t usually purchase books. I get them from the library because I usually only read them once. The last book I bought was your e-book, Reckless. Before that I had bought a few other books on your list because the library didn’t have them. I am excited to read Stolen!
Thank you so much Katey! Make sure you tell your library that you want my books — they will order if enough patrons ask!
I have been buying your books at Kobo in E Book format. Before I got an E Reader I would buy the books. I like the E Reader as you can bring lots of books when you travel in little space. So looking forward to reading Stolen. It is loaded in my reader and next on my list of books to read. .
The last book I bought was just today at the Barnes and Noble store in town. I had not planned to purchase it, but after looking at if for a bit (it’s a writer’s guide called, “Where Do You Get Your Ideas?), I decided I would find it helpful. I am buying more books on Amazon for my kindle, even though the majority of books I read are still regular books, not ebooks. I do get books from the library, but I will buy books from authors who I already know I like. (Such as those on this blog). Sometimes if I read something from the library that I like, I will then go and buy it for my collection.