Kindle e-books overtake paperback sales
- Thread starter blacbird
- Start date
That's a really weird article, and I don't think it means what you think it means.
I got no dog in the hunt, and no opinion on what it means. I just thought it was an article I should link for those interested.
Thanks for the info, blacbird. That is interesting.
From one of the links in that article:
That's pretty big.
From one of the links in that article:
That's pretty big.
That's not surprising - it's January, everyone who got Kindles for Christmas will be buying books to put on them.
Well that's just hardcovers, which seldom sell in massively high quantities and it makes sense for Kindles to outsell during this period - anyone with a Kindle will want the latest book to take on holiday with them.
I'd be interested in knowing how many of those 810,000 books are self-published through Amazon's own programme and what the average price of those books are.
Amazon has to spin this to the market because it's where they're taking the business.
MM
- Joined
- Feb 12, 2005
- Messages
- 7,705
- Reaction score
- 1,336
- Location
- Where the Wild Things Are
- Website
- www.christine-norris.com
I heard this news on the morning money report. It means exactly what the OP thinks it means. The number I heard was that for every 100 paperbacks sold, Amazon has sold 115 Kindle books.
Bottom line, they sell more Kindle format books than any other format of book. Personally, since Christmas my Kindle format ranking numbers have remained steady or gone down and up when they sell (don't know how many, just I see the number change), while my paperback formats for the same books are sinking to the depths.
When I get my royalty statements for those books, I predict a 3:1 sales ratio, Kindle to paperback. I get more money per Kindle book anyway, and people are reading my books I don't give a hoot what format they use to do it
Bottom line, they sell more Kindle format books than any other format of book. Personally, since Christmas my Kindle format ranking numbers have remained steady or gone down and up when they sell (don't know how many, just I see the number change), while my paperback formats for the same books are sinking to the depths.
When I get my royalty statements for those books, I predict a 3:1 sales ratio, Kindle to paperback. I get more money per Kindle book anyway, and people are reading my books I don't give a hoot what format they use to do it
Amazon cheats on their reporting. They count freebies as a sale, so you can't compare 115 kindles books sold to 100 paperbacks sold. Also take into account that many Kindle books are priced 99 cents to a few bucks and your not comparing apples to apples.
Another thing Amazon does not note is that many of the paperbacks are self published offering which are not big sellers anyway because they are mostly overpriced.
I am not saying Amazon has not done well with the Kindle after 3 years, but we all know Amazon lives on a different cloud...
In the four weeks I've owned my Kindle, I've paid for two e-books and one newspaper. The rest of the books I've wanted to buy aren't available to Kindle buyers in the United States (specifically, most of James Baldwin's work).
In the past six months, I've downloaded about 100 free e-books from Amazon. I was using the Kindle for PC software several months before I decided to buy a Kindle. If Amazon is calculating usage figures like mine into the final totals, then the legitimacy of their statistics are questionable.
In the past six months, I've downloaded about 100 free e-books from Amazon. I was using the Kindle for PC software several months before I decided to buy a Kindle. If Amazon is calculating usage figures like mine into the final totals, then the legitimacy of their statistics are questionable.
Last edited:
- Joined
- Feb 12, 2005
- Messages
- 7,705
- Reaction score
- 1,336
- Location
- Where the Wild Things Are
- Website
- www.christine-norris.com
I'm sure they do pad the numbers like that. I'd like to see some comparative numbers then, for a few popular books. I have some free books, but I've bought some too. I don't usually go for the $9.99 books, but sometimes if it's a book I really want to read, I'll get it.
Like I said, personally I KNOW I've sold more Kindle copies than paperback copies of my series novels, in the last month especially, and looking over royalty statements, more ebooks overall in all formats. It wouldn't surprise me at all that Kindle format is sneaking up close to dead tree format.
Like I said, personally I KNOW I've sold more Kindle copies than paperback copies of my series novels, in the last month especially, and looking over royalty statements, more ebooks overall in all formats. It wouldn't surprise me at all that Kindle format is sneaking up close to dead tree format.
johnnysannie
Banned
Ebook sales are soaring everywhere, not just on Amazon. When major publishers including Dorchester are issuing ALL new releases as ebooks first, it's obvious that this is more than just a fad or flash in the pan.
I have downloaded some free ebooks but I've also bought a number for myself and for my teen daughters who now both have Kindles.
On my current release, I've had far more people delighted they can download it to their Kindles than not - and none of the five novels I'll have out by the end of 2011 are self-pubbed.
I have downloaded some free ebooks but I've also bought a number for myself and for my teen daughters who now both have Kindles.
On my current release, I've had far more people delighted they can download it to their Kindles than not - and none of the five novels I'll have out by the end of 2011 are self-pubbed.
Gak. I keep reading about Kindle blowing doors off and popular genres selling like hot cakes. Yet...both my Kindle books simmer, barely holding on. Now, Fictionwise is where it's happening for me. Massive sales there. Amazon? Amazon sucks.
Tri
Tri
I have no doubt that e-sales are gaining and print sales are dwindling, but I doubt the former will overtake the latter in the long run, for many reasons.
Look at music, I started out with 45s, then LPs, added 8-track tapes and move onto cassettes, then cds, and now onto ipods and other devices. With some artist, I have bought a new album with each new format that came out. So in essence, with an artist like Led Zeppelin, I have bought their first three albums, what 5 times? (And lets not talk about how many of the same albums I bought by the Beatles in the various formats.)
Point being, I buy a printed book and it does not go out of format. If I liked the paperback, I might buy the hardback. Two copies at the most, not five or six...
Now we add e-books and I will say that if I like the e-book of a particular writer, I would buy the printed book for my collection, or vice versa. I think this is where publishing is heading. Two for one offers, or discounts on print if you buy the e version. You gotta give the consumer something besides a fancy new gadget. You gotta give them value. For us writers, its a win-win situation, IMHO.
Look at music, I started out with 45s, then LPs, added 8-track tapes and move onto cassettes, then cds, and now onto ipods and other devices. With some artist, I have bought a new album with each new format that came out. So in essence, with an artist like Led Zeppelin, I have bought their first three albums, what 5 times? (And lets not talk about how many of the same albums I bought by the Beatles in the various formats.)
Point being, I buy a printed book and it does not go out of format. If I liked the paperback, I might buy the hardback. Two copies at the most, not five or six...
Now we add e-books and I will say that if I like the e-book of a particular writer, I would buy the printed book for my collection, or vice versa. I think this is where publishing is heading. Two for one offers, or discounts on print if you buy the e version. You gotta give the consumer something besides a fancy new gadget. You gotta give them value. For us writers, its a win-win situation, IMHO.
- Joined
- Nov 2, 2007
- Messages
- 6,449
- Reaction score
- 1,321
In the fourth quarter of 2010. Including free and 99 cent Kindle books.
Let's wait to see if this is actually a trend, or a temporary bump produced by the high number of Kindles sold for Christmas 2010. It may be that Kindle books will be Amazon's biggest seller, in terms of format, every Christmas, as people load up their new Kindles with public-domain classics and bargain books; it may be that Kindle books will really become their biggest-selling format quarter-to-quarter. There just isn't enough data yet to be able to say.
I would be very careful using Dorchester as an example of good business right now.
I'd like to see how many Kindle e-books were actually sold rather than given away for free. I wonder what the proportion is? And if this would change the figures significantly?
- Joined
- Feb 12, 2005
- Messages
- 7,705
- Reaction score
- 1,336
- Location
- Where the Wild Things Are
- Website
- www.christine-norris.com
Yanno, I'd like to see the first quarter of 2011. That's when I sold a lot of Kindle books, I know. After everyone got them for Christmas.
Now, my Kindle format books usually sell for much less than $10, so that may have something to do with it. I also see the 'immediate gratification' of being able to buy straight from the Kindle contributing to the trend - I can get my favorite author's newest book instantly, and without having to think about how much I'm spending (dangerous for me). For that reason my aunt buys B&N gift cards and uses them as payment for her Nook books - a good way to keep the book budget under control.
It will have peaks and valleys, like any other product.
Now, my Kindle format books usually sell for much less than $10, so that may have something to do with it. I also see the 'immediate gratification' of being able to buy straight from the Kindle contributing to the trend - I can get my favorite author's newest book instantly, and without having to think about how much I'm spending (dangerous for me). For that reason my aunt buys B&N gift cards and uses them as payment for her Nook books - a good way to keep the book budget under control.
It will have peaks and valleys, like any other product.
As people said before, and as it was reported in the Bookseller yesterday, Amazon has fiddled the figures.
Here's the original press release: http://phx.corporate-ir.net/phoenix...90&highlight&ref=tsm_1_tw_kin_prearn_20110127
Under Highlights, it states free ebooks were not counted.
Under Highlights, it states free ebooks were not counted.
Amazon cheats on their reporting. They count freebies as a sale, so you can't compare 115 kindles books sold to 100 paperbacks sold. Also take into account that many Kindle books are priced 99 cents to a few bucks and your not comparing apples to apples.
Another thing Amazon does not note is that many of the paperbacks are self published offering which are not big sellers anyway because they are mostly overpriced.
I am not saying Amazon has not done well with the Kindle after 3 years, but we all know Amazon lives on a different cloud...
I don't know what e-reader you have, but when I shop in Kindle's bookstore, most of the books are not .99 cents. They are 9.99, the average price of a paperback. Those are the self-published ones that are often .99.
About 2/3 of the content on my Kindle was free, much of it classics. Another significant portion was very, very cheap (but the content of that stuff is the reason I don't let my kids use the kindle... Ahem.) I'm a Kindle slut. I'll download anything if it's free, and almost anything if it's less than a cup of coffee and promises a good time
For good fiction, I prefer a hard copy BUT I will buy Kindle if it's still in hardback. Kindle is much cheaper for hardbacks (9.99 vs. 25.00 or more) but not such a difference in paperback.
Last edited:
- Joined
- Feb 12, 2005
- Messages
- 7,705
- Reaction score
- 1,336
- Location
- Where the Wild Things Are
- Website
- www.christine-norris.com
If you search for bargains, you'll find them. Right now, for example, THE HUNGER GAMES is only $5.00 for Kindle. The other two in the trilogy are also under $10. New stuff is priced higher, but sometimes you can find a great deal.
Apparently there's no way to search by price on the Kindle. Seems odd, if Amazon is pushing for lower prices.
I just gave this site a test drive and it seemed to work:
http://www.jungle-search.com/US/kindle.php
Searches Amazon kindle store by price range. You can narrow by genre, ratings, etc. HTH
- Joined
- Jan 3, 2009
- Messages
- 499
- Reaction score
- 24
- Location
- Heart-Shaped Box
- Website
- www.cameronchapman.com
No, according to the article they don't count freebies in these numbers. If they counted freebies, it would likely be 2-3x the number.