Factors that Influence the General Public’s Book Buying Decisions

In 1996 and 1997 the American Booksellers Association, the Book Industry Study Group, and Publisher’s Weekly, asked adult book purchasers what were the most critical factors for buying books. Most people expect that the top reasons people buy books are book covers, marketing, price, reviews, etc. However, the three answers that stand-out beyond all others are:

1. The subject of the book
2. The author’s reputation
3. The informational content about the book on the inside flaps and the back cover were most critical

For implications for author websites and more details, read the full article.
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Author Spending & Activities on Book Marketing

Survey entitled, “The Business Impact of Writing a Book,” by Wellesley Hills Group gathered information from 200 authors about the impact of book marketing. All authors had written books for the purpose of building their small business, but the lessons apply to all authors.

Key Points:

• 51% of authors invested personal funds in marketing their book
• The amount authors personally invested in their books ranged from under $1000 to $150,000 with a median investment amount of $4500
• Authors who hired “outside help sold 10,000 copies of their first book and earned royalties of $55,000, compared to 4,500 copies sold and royalties of $25,000 for authors who depended solely on the efforts of their publishers” (Publishers Weekly)
• Most effective marketing tactic: Using the Internet
• Second most effective marketing tactic: generating press in trade publications related to the topic of the book (for non-fiction)
• Book signings were considered not very effective
• Authors who hired reputable firms to promote their book earned higher royalties
• Authors said there were many indirect benefits to marketing their books rather than straight sales

(Source: Business by the Book, Business Week, 4/12/06, Karen E. Klein -and- Documenting the Value of Marketing, Publishers Weekly, 4/24/06, Jim Milliot)

Number of Books Released

The number of books released declined in 2005 for the first time since 1999.  In 2005, 172,000 books were released (an average of 471 new books released each day).  The decline in titles is expected to continue in 2006.
(Source: AP, 5/09/06)

“Bowker revealed its annual count of books published in the U.S. recently...The country saw a whopping 195,000 new titles in 2004, up 14% from the previous year."
(Source: Publishers Weekly, 5/24/05)

Net Sales

U.S. publishers had net sales of $24.2 billion in 2006, which is a decrease of $900 million from 2005.  E-books saw a 24.1% increase in 2006 to $54 million.
(Source: Association of American Publishers)

2005 saw $25.1 billion in net sales for the publishing industry.  Net sales were up 9.9% from 2004.
(Source: Association of American Publishers)

Book Sale Expectations

"In 2004, Nielsen BookScan tracked the sales of 1.2 million books and found that nine hundred and fifty thousand of them sold fewer than ninety-nine copies. And yet these scattered individual purchases add up to a surprisingly large market, especially at online booksellers."
(Source: Going Long, The New Yorker, July 10, 2006 by John Cassidy)

"A book by the average author--that is, the average author who manages to find an agent and land a deal--sells just 11,800 copies, according to the Book Industry Study Group, a nonprofit research organization, and RR Bowker, a provider of bibliographic information."
(Source: Getting on the Same Page, Fast Company, November 2005 | Page 86 By: Lucas Conley)

The bestselling books at [the print-on-demand firm] Xlibris sell 2,000 to 4,000 copies, [Xlibris president] Feldcamp said, while the vast majority sell no more than about 150.
(Source: Xlibris Has Profits, but Few Buyers, Printed in Publishers Weekly, written by Calvin Reid -- 3/17/2003)