Wednesday, May 5, 2010

EBook Usage Up

by Raelene Gorlinsky

The April 12, 2010, issue of Publishers Weekly magazine reported on the lastest survey by the Book Industry Study Group (BISG) on ebook reading. The survey was conducted from January 28 to February 5; they don't say how many responses are included in the results. The survey respondents were people who are reading ebooks.

~ 23% of ebook buyers said they now buy ebooks exclusively

~ 60% said they've bought an ebook from Amazon, 23% have bought from Barnes&Noble.com, 9% from Borders.com, 8% direct from publisher

~ 35% said the primary format they buy is Kindle

~ Device primarily used for reading ebooks:
46% - computer (desktop or laptop)
29% - Kindle
6% - Sony Reader
5% - iPod Touch
4% - iPhone
1 to 3% each for other smartphones, other devices or readers, Nook, or netbook

The BISG will be conducting the survey again, and it will be interesting to see how things may change with the proliferation of new reading devices, Google's announced plan to start selling ebooks this summer, and the iPad and move to agency model pricing.

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

I have a sony reader 505 and have a hard time figuring out how to get EC books to download to it. I wonder if Kindle readers are any different. Right now, I use Microsoft reader. Interesting statistics. Thanks.

INSIDE THE SHRINK said...

I have iKindle on my iPhone and I love it. While each page holds less than a regular book or e-reader, it is so darn handy to just whip out my iphone and pick up where I left off. I have downloaded the iNook as well but haven't downloaded any books on it yet. I believe the easy accessibility and lower cost for ebooks will result in increased stat numbers on the ebook reading. I read this article too. I wasn't surprised at the stats.

Karla Doyle said...

Hi Gwyn - I also have the Sony 505, and haven't had any problems moving the EC books I've bought to my reader. I download them to a folder on my computer then drag/send them to my reader when it's plugged into the USB port.
My only issue is formatting. The way they display on my reader is sub-par, kind of disjointed all over the page. But I don't let that stop me from enjoying them!

Lesley Speller said...

It surprises me that such a large number uses laptops/desktops to read ebooks. I guess I just spend too much time on the laptop to want to read on it. Plus I can't take it in the tub with me, which is totally vital for my reading! It's the only time of the day I'm not being accosted by small children!