Question about ebooks sold

profen4 · Oct 15, 2010

Hey guys, I know that ebooks account for something like 10% of total book sold. But I'm wondering if any of you have an authoritative source that I can use to quote in that regard? I've searched Publishers Weekly and Quill and Quire, but I just can't seem to find a reference. It doesn't even have to confirm that it's 10% if you had a site that suggested it was more or less, I'd be fine with that.

Thanks for your help, guys. I appreciate it!

ETA: additionally, I've heard figures from 20% to 40% used in regard to books sold via online venues rather than in stores and I'd love to find a reference to that as well. I'm going to keep looking and if I find the sources I'll post em here too, but if someone has them already I'd really love to be pointed in the right directions.
do lot bon bon quan ao thoi trang dep chan goi so sinh cho be vay lien cong so nu ban buon chup anh cho be o ha noi
cheers

veinglory · Oct 15, 2010

The figure I heard, I think was via Publishers Weekly, was 2%. 10% is about the number of books sold via online vendors, but most of those are still paperbacks.

Dee Carney · Oct 15, 2010

Here's something...

"While sales in the print trade segments shrank in August, e-book sales had another strong month, jumping 172.4%, to $39 million, according to the 14 publishers that report sales to the AAP’s monthly sales estimates. For the year-to-date, e-book sales were up 192.9%, to $263 million. AAP said that of the approximately 19 publishers that report trade sales, revenue in the January to August period was $2.91 billion, making the $263 million e-book sales 9.0% of trade sales. At the end of 2009, e-book sales comprised 3.3% of trade sales. The mass market segment, where sales were down 14.3% in the first eight months of 2009, represented 15.1% of trade sales through August."

From Publisher's Weekly 10/14.

profen4 · Oct 15, 2010

Dee Carney said:
Here's something...

"While sales in the print trade segments shrank in August, e-book sales had another strong month, jumping 172.4%, to $39 million, according to the 14 publishers that report sales to the AAP’s monthly sales estimates. For the year-to-date, e-book sales were up 192.9%, to $263 million. AAP said that of the approximately 19 publishers that report trade sales, revenue in the January to August period was $2.91 billion, making the $263 million e-book sales 9.0% of trade sales. At the end of 2009, e-book sales comprised 3.3% of trade sales. The mass market segment, where sales were down 14.3% in the first eight months of 2009, represented 15.1% of trade sales through August."

From Publisher's Weekly 10/14.

Thank you, it's even an october source, great! (I needed something between may 2010 and present).

Many thanks.

quicklime · Nov 4, 2010

$263 million sounds like a lot, but any idea who all is playing in the pool? If most of it was split between 20 writers, they obviously got more than if it was between 26 million.....and what % of that was not just e-versions of NYT bestsellers?

just curious if anyone has any handle on how the numbers divy up or what they mean to "average folks".....my guess is if e-sales were 263 million, at least $150 million of that went to things like e-editions of Salem's Lot and The Client and whatever is hot right this minute in print as well, a much smaller portion is folks only in e-books.....

profen4 · Nov 5, 2010

I think you'd find the allocation of percentages to be precisely the same as print books. eg - 99% of the ebook sales went to the publishers that have books nationally and internationally distributed in bricks and mortar stores, and 1% (or perhaps less) went to e-only publishers. Total speculation on my part, but one thing is very clear: the LEADERS in the ebook trade are the same as the LEADERS in the print book trade.

dclary · Nov 5, 2010

swhibs123 said:
I think you'd find the allocation of percentages to be precisely the same as print books. eg - 99% of the ebook sales went to the publishers that have books nationally and internationally distributed in bricks and mortar stores, and 1% (or perhaps less) went to e-only publishers. Total speculation on my part, but one thing is very clear: the LEADERS in the ebook trade are the same as the LEADERS in the print book trade.

Certainly a logical assumption to make.

veinglory · Nov 5, 2010

I suspect the degree to which it is true is not quite a match however. There are a few niche areas where e-only would take a greater share than is possible with print (self-help, financial, erotica, rpgs etc). Not to say they would be a majority, but a greater minority.

FranYoakumVeal · Nov 18, 2010

swhibs123 said:
I think you'd find the allocation of percentages to be precisely the same as print books. eg - 99% of the ebook sales went to the publishers that have books nationally and internationally distributed in bricks and mortar stores, and 1% (or perhaps less) went to e-only publishers. Total speculation on my part, but one thing is very clear: the LEADERS in the ebook trade are the same as the LEADERS in the print book trade.

Actually, according to Joe Konrath http://jakonrath.blogspot.com, many self-published e-books outsell their commercially published counterparts. One reason is that commercial publishers still charge $9.99 and up for e-books where the average price per self-pubbed is $2.99. If I'm going to pay $10 for a book, I want to make sure my money is well-spent, but $2.99 is less than I pay for my latte.

Yes, commercially published authors are in the top 10 on Kindle and Nook best-seller lists, but so are Indies.

Amadan · Nov 18, 2010

FranYoakumVeal said:
Actually, according to Joe Konrath http://jakonrath.blogspot.com, many self-published e-books outsell their commercially published counterparts.

Er, really? Define "many"? There are a few self-publishing success stories, and a vast multitude that sell maybe a dozen copies.

One reason is that commercial publishers still charge $9.99 and up for e-books where the average price per self-pubbed is $2.99. If I'm going to pay $10 for a book, I want to make sure my money is well-spent, but $2.99 is less than I pay for my latte.

Really? So it's okay if a book is crappy as long as it's cheap? Most self-published ebooks are overpriced if they're free. $2.99 shouldn't necessarily be the price point for ebooks just because more and more desperate-to-be-read unknowns are flinging their rough drafts online for that price.

Question about ebooks sold

profen4

veinglory

volitare nequeo

Dee Carney

Bringing sexy back

profen4

quicklime

all out of fucks to give

profen4

dclary

Unabashed Mercenary

veinglory

volitare nequeo

FranYoakumVeal

Simple gal, complex mind

Amadan