Happy Sunday, WG2E-Land!
This past Thursday, we did two waaay interesting Reader Polls on our sister site The RG2E.
The first poll asked readers how many Ebooks they currently have on their Ereaders. The second poll asked what percentage of those books they’ve actually read.
You can view the polls and add your responses here:
The results are vital to understanding why it’s not just about Reaching Readers in today’s Indie Epublishing Environment, it’s about Connecting with Readers.
Now, we not only have to make ourselves visible enough to get on their Ereaders, we’ve got to find ways to make it so that Readers Want to Read and Actually Do Read Our Books!
Of our RG2E Readers, 26% have between 100 and 200 Ebooks on their Ereaders, another 26% have 600+ Ebooks, while 16% have 200 to 300, 10% 300 to 400, 10% less than 100, and 6% each have either 400 to 500 or 500 to 600 Ebooks.
But…
23% of our RG2E Readers have only read 10% or less of those Ebooks on their Ereaders!!! So, only 1 in 10 Ebooks on their Ereaders has been read!!!
Another 19% have read 30% or less of the Ebooks on their Ereaders. And 16% have read 20% or less.
That means, a whopping 58% have read 30% or less of the Ebooks they have!!!
Here’s a comment from one reader that I hear from a bunch of peeps over at The RG2E:
“I’m always finding something that sounds too good to pass up, so I get that ebook. Now I just have to find more time to read all of them.” — Becky Ward
Now, granted, this is a small sampling, but the results are consistent with what I’m seeing reported across all kinds of media.
Readers are really beginning to fill-up their Ereaders with great books for great prices. BUT…now we’ve got to get ‘em to (1) choose to download our Ebooks then (2) connect with them enough (primarily in our online communities) to actually get them to read our Ebooks.
It’s that whole turning readers into fans bit that I talk about a bunch. A Reader may buy your book, but a Fan reads ‘em all, spreads the word about you, and keeps comin’ back for more!!!
It’s Your Turn, WG2E-Land: What are your thoughts on these results? How are you connecting with readers so that your Ebooks aren’t just “sitting” on their Ereaders, they’re getting read?
The Best of WG2E and RG2E Reader Poll Wishes — D. D. Scott
P.S. We’ve also done an RG2E Reader Poll regarding Ebook Pricing that has fabulous information to help you in your Ebook Price Point Decisions. 83% prefer Ebooks $2.99 and under (for authors new to them), although they will pay more for authors they know and love (up to about $7.99).
I am one of those readers who has more ebooks on their readers than I have read. But I am trying out new authors this way and have found genres that I now like that I didn’t before. I have decided to price my next Angel ebook higher than the last two, mainly cos it is longer (a novella rather than a long short story) and I’ve put more work into this one.
I’m right there with ya, Julie! I have over 600 Ebooks on mine now and have read right at about 20% of what I have.
But also, like you, I’m discovering a ton of fabulous new authors and genres I never would have tried or found without Ereading.
Cheers to you on your next release too!
This is so true, and many are uploaded on free days and then not read or read much later. That’s why I don’t think you get the push you used to from free. They still need a lot of buzz to get them to actually read your book. Another great post DeeDee.
Free works, but only if it’s long-term and across all platforms, Elizabeth. At least that’s my theory as of the moment…LOL!
I shared an Amazon account with my wife until the list became unmanageable (we both read a LOT). Recently, I started my own account but her books were still on my Kindle. So… I’ve read 25 of 30 and intend to read the rest. My wife has read all the books on hers. However, she’s abandoned about 30 books that were $0-$0.99 (cheap is cheap) and read another 120 ranging from free to $12.99.
I’m shocked to hear so many people download books & never read them. I’m interested to hear how many of those were PAID books. Or, even better, how many books did you pay $3 for and never read?
That’s a great follow up question, Seeley, and I’ll definitely put that one up there in the near future:
“…how many of those were PAID books. Or, even better, how many books did you pay $3 for and never read?”
I can tell you, for me, most of mine that I have not read are 99 to $2.99. But that’s what I buy the most of. Very rarely do I buy one over that amount.
Thanks bunches for your suggestion!
I have a ton of books on my ereaders (yes, I have two) that I have not read. Some paid, some free. It’s all about how much time I have. I also have a ton of physical books I haven’t read yet. But I will get to them all eventually I’m sure.
It still won’t stop me from buying more. Hello, my name is Deanna Chase and I’m a book shopping addict. And no, I don’t want help curing me of my impulse buying.
I sooo hear ya, Deanna, and I’m right there with ya! I don’t care what my ratio ends up, because I luuuvvv new authors and new reading experiences and load-up on any I think I might like!
But, that said, I now realize that it is vital to keep connecting with my readers so they continue to actually make the time to keep on reading me each new release.
I will read mine, eventually. I only read the fiction ones for about 10-15 mins a time. The way I try and get readers to read my ebooks, is to put the covers on FB and on PInterest, and put images on PInterest that are connected to the books.
Pinterest is a marvelous new tool, Julie! I luuuvvv connecting with readers there and on Facebook as well!
I’m in the 500+ crowd and I’ve read all but a handful (and those I’d didn’t like for one reason or another and stopped reading). About half are purchases and the rest free (Amazon Select promotions and free books from Smashwords and Feedbooks). Also, I have an entire library of paper books cluttering up the house that I’ve yet to get rid of.
I’m getting rid of my paper books too, Doug. I simply don’t have room for them and don’t read them anymore.
And I just luuuvvv having hundreds of Ebooks to choose from all loaded and waiting for me anytime anywhere.
I have close to two hundred ebooks, audible books, and samples on my Kindle. After clicking through the titles, I’d estimate that I’ve read more than half.
A few months ago, and because audiobooks take up a LOT of space, I’ve had to delete some that I haven’t read, or tried and didn’t love, to make room for new ebooks. Generally, the ones that go are the free books or samples that didn’t match my tastes.
2.99-4.99 is generally my price point for a new author, though I won’t blink before paying 9.99 or greater for an author I love.
Thanks for sharing the results of the survey! Interesting stuff
Lauren
Interesting indeed, Lauren, and thanks sooo very much for giving us your scoop too! Nothin’ beats learning from each other.
I have 2 eReaders with over 600 ebooks on them and that doesn’t include paperbacks. I find that I bump up books on my TBR pile based on authors that I engage with more often or those who are more interactive with me.
With that logic, I try to interact with my readers on a 1-2-1 basis when I can.
Exactly this, Kiru:
“I find that I bump up books on my TBR pile based on authors that I engage with more often or those who are more interactive with me.”
I do that too, and I know a ton of readers who do the same! And yes, this is the perfect example of why it’s sooo very important to connect with readers after you find ‘em!!!
Thanks bunches for this terrific comment!!!
Time and again, the books I delete mostly quickly are the badly written ones. The price doesn’t matter. Even if its ten bucks, bad or insulting writing and its gone!
The books I read and reread and order more of, are well-written novels. With all the freebies offered, don’t you find you’re getting more selective? I find a good or excellent author and just keep following them even if they’re new.
Freebies will soon reach a saturation point. Readers will go back to paying for books and writers they trust. Whatever the genre you love, thrillers, romance, vampires, good writing is still the bottom-line.
Cheers and Happy reading!
Kiana Davenport, THE SPY LOVER, (August)
Another excellent point, Kiana, and thanks sooo much for sharing it:
“With all the freebies offered, don’t you find you’re getting more selective? I find a good or excellent author and just keep following them even if they’re new.”
I totally agree that Free means nothing like it used to – especially using the KDP Select paradigm. But it still can work in a huge way if you work it across all platforms and forever versus a limited time.
But, at the same time, there are sooo many Free every day now, I can honestly say, I’ve got enough to try and read and am not looking at them as much as I used to. And many other readers are doing the same. But the reverse is true too…readers are only looking at the Free ones, knowing they can always find something they’ll like there and looking no further.
I have loads of free books on my kindle that I haven’t yet read. I will only buy a book that I plan to read immediately (usually one that has been recommended to me by a friend).
I’m a bit callous with the freebies. If the story or writing doesn’t grab me within the first chapter I delete it and move onto the next on the list. This could be for any reason, ranging from I couldn’t get into that genre or the writing was lousy. I do this because there are so many books that sound great and I want to read them all, so this way if the book doesn’t start very well I save myself time and give myself a faster way to find the next great “can’t put down” book.
I have found several authors from freebies that I now purchase the rest of their series.
I do the same thing, Alison…the book has to grab me from the get-go or I move on.
And wow, yes, I’ve discovered sooo many wonderful new authors from their initial freebies and have now bought their entire collections!!!
I think part of the problem is the serious lack of easy organization on the Kindle. With my Nook, I could open it up in my computer and sort my books into folders really REALLY easy (just click and drag). With my Kindle 4 (not touch) organizing is a pain in the butt. there’s no keyboard except one I have to use a directional pad and enter to use. I can label books into collections, but I SHOULD be able to move the files if I open the device with my computer. For some reason, when I made my own folders and put books in there, the folders disappeared.
But yes I have a ton of free books I haven’t read. I read all in one swoop for most books, so very few that I pay for do I not read.
I do the reading “all in one swoop” thing too, Elizabeth, in that I try one of my FREE Ebooks, which are usually the first in a series then I go ahead and buy the rest in the series and read ‘em all before moving onto the next Free one. So it takes me forever to get through all my FREE Ebooks, if I ever do…LOL!!!