The Ebook Survey RESULTS!

The results of the recent ebook reader survey are in! Some are quite surprising. When asked what the most important factor was when looking for ebooks, the strength of the blurb was top. Ebook authors take note - no matter how good your book, 31% of people say if your blurb isn't up to scratch, you're likely to miss a sale! Just as important it seems and not far behind is good reviews. 29% of respondents said a review was a key indicator in their ebook buying process. Readers pay attention to reviews, especially if by an unfamiliar author, it seems. Price and genre are not too far behind.
Conversely, what actively puts people off buying an ebook? Price here is key again followed hard on the heels by poor reviews. Not far behind is a blurb that doesn't grab the attention.
So at what price should you pitch your ebook? A third said it needed to be under £1 or $1.50 with another third saying they would pay up to £3 or $3.50 for an ebook by an unfamiliar author. 15% said it just needed to be under £5/$6 while 12% said price wasn't a leading decision maker for them.
When it comes to genre, crime and thrillers were way ahead in this category, followed by Sci-Fi/Fantasy. There was a reasonably even spread of people who cited women's fiction/romance, literary fiction, action/adventure and paranormal with other genres less popular. This surprises me as I read that romance was the biggest selling genre but maybe that is due to the profile of the survey respondents. Respondents could pick more than one genre but it is still a good indication of what people are prepared to read.
Is a price of 99c/70p off putting? A third say they would buy at this price as it seems like a bargain but more people - 40% say they would use the same critieria whatever the price. More than a quarter of people would download a sample first - so those opening chapters are crucial!
So, what does this all tell us? Firstly that reviews are key and price is just as important. And while crime and thrillers seem to stand a greater chance of big sales, genre isn't everything - individual blurb is more important.-So make your book blurb sparkle to stand a chance of that all-important sale!