Find out what Kindle readers are buying, where they find their books, and where they like to talk about what they’re reading: What are Kindle Readers buying?What do you look for in the books you buy? Excitement, love, drama, new worlds, warm fuzzy feelings? If any of these sound appealing, you’re in good company. And if you write feel-good, comedy, or romance books, nearly ¼ of readers are looking for books like yours. Emotions that Kindle Readers look for in a book:
Kindle readers also enjoy series. Contrary to some popular complaints about series and cliff-hangers, 78% of readers have read more than 7 books from a single series. If you have a great book, readers will want the ending, regardless of how frustrating it is to wait or buy the next book to get it. Readers, how do you feel about cliffhangers and book series? Are you one of the majority that will read a series, or do you prefer standalone books? Well, 70% of Kindle readers report to enjoying series and standalone books equally. Good news for both types of authors! Where do Kindle Readers find their books?Do you have a favorite place to find books? Personally, I like the website ReadFree.ly. I’ll read most of the books from their 50 Best Indie Books every year because they are excellent. It seems that many readers are like me: 41% find their books on bargain sites like Freebooksy, ReadFree.ly, and others. One caveat to this stat: The surveyed readers are all subscribers to book lists of Written Word Media, which may have skewed the results slightly. Where else do we find new books to read? t is no surprise that 21% of Kindle readers use the recommendations of friends and family to discover new books. In fact, top trusted influencers for book recommendations are friends and family (53%) followed by blogs and websites (24%), Coworkers (12%), and Bestseller lists (11%). Authors, what does this mean for you? Leverage the power of friends and family through social media giveaways; ask your fans to tag people who might enjoy your book in exchange for being entered into a giveaway, or by using other techniques. Post entertaining or relatable content that your fans will want to share, increasing your exposure to their friends and family. Is social media worth your time? According to this survey, 20% of readers discover new books through Social Media. Combine that with a trust source (their friend just shared a giveaway by a new author) and a reader will be more inclined to download that book. What social media outlets are most popular for Kindle Readers to discover or discuss new books? Facebook is the most popular, followed by Google+, Pinterest, Twitter, and lastly Instagram. Compared to Twitter, Facebook is reported to being used almost ten times more often. Find active groups for your genre (whether a reader or author) and become engaged in that group to find new books and to promote your book. Personally, I participate in Band of Dystopian Authors and Fans, and the Read Review Repeat Book Blog, which promotes romance books. Both are great places to find new books and promote books. Authors, be careful about joining big groups like Pimp Your Books, Kindle Unlimited, etc. It will be easy to get lost in the mass of posting. Also, Facebook has recently been cracking down on this type of group spamming by banning users that post the same links in too many groups. Creating a smaller but more engaged following can be valuable for newer authors. Why do readers choose to read?What does reading do for you?
I find it both relaxes and lifts my mood. It seems that most Kindle readers agree. The majority of those surveyed read to relax (42%) and to escape (35%). Readers are also looking for books to learn (14%), and as a way to relate (8%). As readers, we like to know how others are finding books and where they are actively discussing them. Where are your favorite places to find books and discuss them? Authors, it is essential to understand your audience. If you sell to Kindle readers (and I imagine most authors do, considering Amazon’s marketshare is huge), knowing where they find books, why they read, and what kind of books they are looking for will be advantageous when creating your marketing plan. Have any thoughts? Share them now! Source: A survey of approx. 300,000 readers by Written Word Media.
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