The Bookseller.com reports on a study presented at the Book Marketing Limited conference that suggests price is a key driver for e-book sales in the United States.
Kelly Gallagher, Bowkers’s VP for publishing services, noted that free content was also an important factor. A survey of 750 consumers indicated that 44% were reading e-books on a computer, as opposed to 36% using the Kindle. However, they expected the iPad to bring about a shift in these demographics.
Another point that was raised is one I’ve suspected to be true all along:
Simultaneous print and electronic publication was not an issue for some consumers. When asked whether they were prepared to wait three months from hardback publication for the e-book, 32% said they would wait, 25% would buy the hardback and 30% were not sure.
Almost 1/3 of readers are willing to wait, and almost the same amount undecided? It’s hardcovers vs. paperbacks all over again.
