netmex » ePublishing

How Ebook Buyers Discover Books

External Author — Sat, 24 Sep 2011 15:15:00 +0000

Most writers write to get read, so how do readers discover ebooks? To discover clues to the answer, I posted a survey over at Mobileread, the online forum popular with many ebook readers. I challenged readers to select the single most common criterion they follow to discover their next read. The results provide some interesting data points Smashwords authors and publishers might consider in their marketing efforts. To capture a broad range of usable data, I suggested 12 answers, one of which was "Other." Respondents were allowed to select one answer only since I wanted to identify the single most important discovery criteria. As of this writing, 206 people answered the survey. Click the image to enlarge it. Key findings, plus my observations:

1. The most-selected answer was "Recommendations from fellow readers on online message forums, blogs and message boards," with 29% of respondents choosing this. By contrast, only 4% selected, "Personal friend/family member recommends it to me." I think this is fascinating, because it implies readers might trust the collective wisdom of strangers and online acquaintances more than they trust the recommendations of immediate friends and family. At the risk of placing too many eggs in this basket, remember 71% selected something else. 2. The second most common answer was, "I look first for my favorite authors," coming in at 18%. This makes sense. As I mention when I present my Seven Secrets to Ebook Publishing Success talk, the author is the brand and if the author can earn the trust and loyalty of readers, readers will return to that brand for their next read. Readers in this group may also be more risk-averse. One respondent commented, "I'm at a point in life where I mostly stick with authors I already know and like. Why waste time and money on something I may not like?" 3. I found it interesting that the top two answers accounted for 47% of responses, with the other 53% of answers fragmented across ten other answers. This implies, I think, that in order for authors to reach the maximum number of readers, it requires them to orchestrate multiple touch points. 4. Several answers indicate buyers prefer a random discovery approach. Readers like to browse. Taken in the aggregate, random browsing rivals the single largest discovery method, with over 25% of respondents. The following are all random browsing methods: I browse book covers, and if it grabs me I investigate further (7%); I browse randomly then look at reviews (7%); I read free ebooks, and if I like the authors I buy their other titles (5%); I browse paper books at brick and mortar bookstores, then search for the ebook online (4%); I'll sample anything, and if it grabs me I'll download/buy it (4%). Most other answers involve some element of random browsing. 5. The Mobileread community has apparently abandoned traditional print media as their first choice for reviews and recommendations, with only 3% citing this as their preferred book discovery method. This isn't surprising, considering Mobileread is a hyper-focused community dedicated to e-reading. It's not representative of the entire population of book buyers. However, I think Mobileread does serve as a leading indicator of how consumer sentiment will change once readers make the transition to e-reading. Looking at the answers in aggregate, it's clear that over 90% of ebook discovery is occurring in the online realm. 6. I was surprised only 3% of respondents looked first to the bestseller lists, which scored just as poorly as print media reviews. Possibly it's a flaw in how I structured the survey. I was also surprised that retailer recommendations, such as the "people who bought this bought that," scored only 5%. Maybe if I asked, "Name the top three methods you use for discovery," these would have scored higher. 7. The "Other" answers, where I invited Mobilereaders to leave comments and elaborate, elicited 11% of responses. Judging from their comments, several of them found it difficult to choose a single favorite discovery method (in other words, they didn't follow the survey instructions which asked them to choose their #1). Of those who provided true "other" answers, several mentioned they discover books at libraries, or select primarily by title or book description (I should have included these as a survey options).

What to make of the results? How might authors and publishers focus their e-publishing efforts based on the data above? I think it boils down to the following:

Write a great book that resonates with readers and gives them something to talk about
Target readers who are active in online communities because they influence their fellow readers (The Smashwords Book Marketing Guide provides 30 online marketing ideas)
Maximize the availability of your book so readers can randomly stumble across it and sample it
Boring titles, unprofessional cover images and poorly written book descriptions are instant turn-offs

Do the findings above match your experience as a reader or author?

The Literary Agent’s Indie Ebook Roadmap

External Author — Fri, 05 Aug 2011 16:42:00 +0000

I mentioned previously I think the next chapter of the indie ebook revolution will be written by literary agents. It's starting to happen. In the last few months several literary agencies began working with Smashwords. I look forward to welcoming others in the months ahead. Today I posted a presentation at Slideshare titled, The Literary Agent's Indie Ebook Roadmap to review the opportunity I see for literary agents and their clients. As I mentioned in my prior post on agents, literary agents can add a lot of value to the publishing process. They're the trusted author advocates charged with helping authors maximize the commercial potential of their works. A great agent brings passion, smarts and relationships that can multiply an author's success several-fold. Literary agents represent some of the most commercially successful authors and author estates. In the presentation below, I share my ideas for how literary agents can better serve their clients by adding e-publishing services to their clients services mix.

The Literary Agent's Indie Ebook Roadmap

Access the complete collection of Smashwords presentations here: Smashwords Slideshare Library

I view the publishing services ecosystem as a spectrum.At one polar extreme you have traditional publishers who provide a wide range of service capabilities to authors, including editing, production, sales, distribution, marketing to accounts payables/receivables, and more. Publishers take risks on books by investing their resources to bring them to market. With the rise of ebooks and self-publishing, authors now have the opportunity to perform many of these publishing functions on their own, should they choose.

On the extreme left side of my spectrum I have what I call the "DIY Anarchists." These are the rare minority of hermits who do everything themselves and only sell on their personal website for fear of sharing a cut with a retailer or other intermediary that sits between them and their reader. The vast majority of indie authors are somewhere in the middle. Many might use Smashwords for ebook conversion, publishing and distribution, then use POD printers for their print book. They might perform some responsibilities themselves, or they might farm out roles to specialist freelancers or service providers. Some indie authors, basking in the new-found freedom to publish on their own terms, have an inclination to take on more than they should. Just because you have the power to assume all the responsibilities of a publisher doesn't mean you should bear the burden alone. This is where the publishing services specialists come in. In the end, the decision to outsource some or all of your publishing services to an intermediary comes down to time. How can you best utilize your time? For many authors, as I noted in my post, The Seven Secrets to Ebook Publishing Success, their time is usually best spent writing great books. Focus your energy on writing a book that sells itself. If your book sparks intense passion with readers, they'll market your book for you. I tell folks if they have $2,000 to invest in marketing they're probably better off investing that money with a professional editor who can help drive the next revision (I also advise authors to pinch their pennies; never spend money you don't have; and never go in debt to publish your book). Literary agents have a unique opportunity to do for their clients what many of them do not want to do - or cannot do - for themselves. What does the entry of agents into the publishing services field mean for you, the author? I think it's great news. Over time, it should allow agents to take more risks on more authors. I've spoken with numerous agents who've shared how they loved an author's work but were unable to sell it, or unable to rep it because publishers wouldn't buy it. For agents who got into the business for their love of books and helping authors, it's a soul sucking experience. Now agents have another reason to say yes. They can help release books think readers would want to read, rather than being forced to focus on books they think they can sell to a publisher. What publishers want to buy and what readers want to buy are usually VERY different things. It's in every indie author's best interest, as well as the best interest of readers, that more agency-repped authors release their books as indie ebooks. Books usually get better when touched by an agent. Speaking from personal experience, I know the novel my wife and I wrote got better thanks to the feedback of our former agent at Dystel & Goderich. Every indie ebook released by an agent creates a rising tide that lifts all authors and brings new credibility to this humble practice otherwise known as self-publishing.

E-Books: Retten wir die Buchhandlung!

External Author — Tue, 22 Mar 2011 10:17:49 +0000

netmex: E-Books: Retten wir die Buchhandlung! - http://bit.ly/flS6rh

Mehr eBooks als Taschenbücher verkauft

External Author — Fri, 28 Jan 2011 20:09:12 +0000

netmex: Mehr eBooks als Taschenbücher verkauft - http://bit.ly/eQfItu

Reinventing The Newspaper On The iPad with News+

External Author — Sat, 27 Nov 2010 22:39:00 +0000

Der Geschäftsbericht im Zukunftslabor

External Author — Thu, 18 Nov 2010 09:00:27 +0000

Am Anlass der Public Relations Gesellschaft Ostschweiz/Liechtenstein (PROL) vom 9. November stellte Miriam Meckel, Professorin am Institute for Media and Communication Management, die aktuelle Studie «Der Geschäftsbericht im Zukunftslabor»* vor. Über die wichtigsten Trends und darüber, ob und wann der gedruckte Geschäftsbericht sterben wird, diskutierte sie anschliessend mit Daniel Zehntner, Geschäftsführer eclat. Seine Agentur produziert jährlich 15 Geschäftsberichte. Geleitet hat die Diskussion Stefan Kern, Vorstandsmitglied der PROL. «Auf der Reise zum reinen Online-Geschäftsbericht haben wir höchstens ein Drittel zurückgelegt» meint Miriam Meckel. Und fasst die 30 in der Studie gesammelten Thesen in 3 Gruppen zusammen:

iBooks Gift Cards Now On Sale in Apple Stores

External Author — Thu, 11 Nov 2010 15:31:09 +0000

iLounge noticed Apple is now selling iBooks gift cards in its retail stores. The cards were spotted in the Washington D.C. area Apple Store, and it’s an interesting move because regular iTunes Gift Cards worked just fine with the iBookStore. I guess Apple wanted to make it clear that books can be bought with a gift card, and I assume those cards are going to be huge this holiday season. I still haven’t spotted them here in Italy, though.

E-Books: Zahl der Leser in den USA steigt rasant

External Author — Tue, 09 Nov 2010 15:19:00 +0000

Kindle an der Spitze.

Kamikaze-Kurs: US-Verlag Dorchester setzt nur noch auf E-Books und Print-on-demand

External Author — Tue, 10 Aug 2010 11:40:56 +0000

Ich habe heute morgen ein kleines Gedankenexperiment durchgeführt. Ich habe mich gefragt, ob Buchverlage prinzipiell die Möglichkeit - man könnte auch sagen: die Macht - hätten, ihre Kunden dazu zu "zwingen", künftig anstelle von Büchern aus Papier nur noch E-Books zu kaufen? Mit zwingen meine ich, dass sie das Drucken ihrer Schmöcker [...]

It’s the content, stupit!

Markus M. Müller — Tue, 20 Jul 2010 12:11:57 +0000

Aktuell beschäftige ich mich mit Online-Publishing, also dem Publizieren von “Büchern” auf elektronischen Plattformen wie z.B. iTunes/iPad oder Amazon.com/Kindle. Dabei ist mir aufgefallen, dass es in der Schweiz offenbar noch niemanden gibt, der ein brauchbares Angebot für Schriftsteller vorweisen kann. Und so erstaunt es mich auch nicht, dass der “Schweizer Buchhändler- und Verlegerverband” (SBVV) zum Thema E-Books nichts (ok, einen Verweis auf den SONY-Reader gibt es) auf seiner Webseite hat und mir auch nach einer Woche noch keine Antwort auf meine E-Mail gegeben hat.

Ja, momentan beschäftigt sich der Verband lieber mit dem Thema der “Buchpreisbindung” – also der Sicherung des Wohligen, Bekannten – der “cash-cow”. (Und mit ihm verschläft auch das Parlament diese Revolution – mir soll’s recht sein!) Das erinnert doch irgendwie schon stark an die Abwehrversuche der Musikbranche vor zehn Jahren gegenüber dem Online-File-Sharing (“Napster”). Ob dieses Mal auch wieder Apple die Nase vorn hat und den “alten Herren” zeigt, wo’s lang geht? Die Chancen stehen nicht einmal so schlecht…

Als nächstes sah ich einen längeren Artikel im Magazin über “Das grosse Zittern um die Zukunft des Lesens im Zeitalter des iPad” (Seite 14ff, Ausgabe 26-10). Hier ein paar Sätze, die ich für mich markiert habe:

“[...] die, die lesen, wirklich lesen, sind ja schon heute eine Minderheit”
“Woher die Abneigung gegenüber dem elektronischen Buch? Weshalb bloss die Furcht vor der Einsicht, das Wichtigste am Buch könnte nicht das Buch, sondern sein Inhalt sein?”
“Laut einer Studie will sich jeder vierte in den USA ‘wahrscheinlich’ oder ‘sehr wahrscheinlich’ einen E-Reader anschaffen. Im Jahr 2013 soll E-Books sechs Prozent der Buchbranche ausmachen. Tendenz weiter steigend.”
“Die Strategie heisst: vorne mit dabei sein, weil es hinten ungemütlich werden könnte.”
“[...] die Zahlen widersprechen der Intuition. Erste Studien aus den USA ergaben, dass auf dem iPad seit der Markteinführung ‘Non-Fiction’ und ‘Fiction’ zu je fünfzig Prozent runtergeladen werden.”
“Wenn zwanzig Prozent der Bücher, die verkauft werden, künftig E-Books sind, dann werden annähernd zwanzig Prozent der Buchhandlungen schliessen oder sich verkleinern müssen.”
“[...] als fairster Player aus Sicht der Verlegen gilt Apple.”
“Man muss also jetzt in die E-Books investieren, um ‘in fünf, vielleicht zehn Jahren’ [...] die ersten Eier zu bekommen.”
“Das E-Book fühlt sich zwar nicht wie ein Buch an, doch es liest sich wie eines. Das Lesen bleibt sich gleich.”

Ganz zufällig kann Amazon in den USA vor einem Tag einen bemerkenswerten Erfolg vermelden:

Amazon verkauft mehr elektronische als gebundene Bücher
(Quelle: NZZ Online)

Nun also die Frage:

Wo soll ich also meine Geschichte publizieren? Weiss jemand Rat?