The Bookseller reports on surveys by Book Marketing Limited and Bowker Publishing Services.
The surveys show, in the UK, that 15% said that downloading a free sample of a book was an important reason for downloading. 23% said that the cheaper cost of ebooks was important to them.
Because free content is driving growth in the e-book market, Kelly Gallagher, vice-president of Bowker Publisher Services, said it was vital for booksellers and publishers to flag up information on other books alongside free online material. He said: “Consumers want something they can try before they buy. Any information you can put out there to see as they look for free content is important. Discoverability is essential.”
As of January 2011, more than 3.3% of British book buyers had bought an e-book, up from 1% in September 2010. In the US, 13% of book buyers bought an e-book in January 2011, up from 3.9% in February 2010. Jo Henry, m.d. of BML, said the UK is now a year behind where the US was in February 2010.
Despite three of the big four publishers implementing agency pricing last year, e-book pricing continues to be considerably lower than that of printed books. On average, e-books are being bought for less than half the price of a hardback, and two-thirds of the paperback price.
