cyn
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Posts: 148
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Post by cyn on Jun 10, 2008 5:11:02 GMT -5
We've been discussing the pros and cons of Kindle books on the LGG news group. Do digital books have a future? Fairfield Research Inc., projected that within a few years, some 16 million adults will regularly download books to some sort of e-reader. The largest potential market is employed males 25-34 with an annual income of +100 000. For an executive summary, email a request to Fairfield@navis.net. On the other side of the coin, a company called Paperspine has thrown its hat into the book business. They operate along the lines of Netflix by delivering books to customers (for a monthly subscription fee). Their website is www.paperspine.com. Can the two services co-exist, or will one win out over the other? c |
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Post by Caprice on Jun 10, 2008 17:02:05 GMT -5
As long as there are people without great internet connections (dial-up or spotty coverage wi-fi) there will always be a market for an alternative to downloads. (I assume the Paperspine copies are on CD?) I welcome BOTH ideas.
I find it somewhat puzzling that they think the biggest audience are males 25-34, which right now are like the smallest audience of fiction readers. I'm guessing that all those downloads are going to be non-fiction, probably business related (judging from the income category). But does this mean there could be hope for attracting men to fiction? If gadgets like e-readers are all it takes to get the males back into the fiction market, then let's start cranking out those gadgets, with plenty of bells, whistles, and lights, baby! Reading as an activity can never quite compete with interactive video games, but could it be that all the guys have been waiting for is the chance to "hold the remote"?
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cyn
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Posts: 148
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Post by cyn on Jun 10, 2008 23:49:16 GMT -5
As I understand it, these are actual hands-on paper copies of books.
I wondered about that information as well. It seems that the research group is making a big leap: males 25-34 with incomes at the 100 000+ level do not buy books now, so they are the untapped market of the future?
c.
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cyn
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Posts: 148
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Post by cyn on Jul 31, 2008 10:51:19 GMT -5
Caprice,
You've formatted your books for Kindle .Have you had much in the way of sales? or is the technology too new and expensive to have made a difference.
I read somewhere that the "big" Christian publishers are busy converting their fiction titles to Kindle technology as well.
c
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Post by Caprice on Jul 31, 2008 21:21:11 GMT -5
Have not made a single sale that I know of. I can't remember how often Amazon reports on these things, but I assume it's at least quarterly. I even priced my Kindle versions lower than my regular eBooks because I figured anyone who paid $300 for the device that really doesn't do anything else (unlike a computer with Adobe Reader) should get a break on the book price.
I noticed when Kindle first came out that the number of available titles in the fantasy section was sparse, but it's been beefed up since then. I am once again lost in the ocean of better-known authors. Since all the converting work is done and Amazon doesn't charge me to keep it available, I will leave my titles there, but I'm not holding my breath waiting for sales to come. And after the way I've been bad-mouthing Amazon over the BookSurge fiasco, it's poetic justice that I'm not making any sales there.
Too bad the antithesis is not working either. I've posted TONS of great things about Lulu all over the internet, but my sales there are no better. Can't really blame any retailers for lousy book sales.
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