Kindle & Sony EReader... has the digital ebook expanded your audience?

[Michael P. Naughton]

I would like to hear from published authors that have had their titles converted to eBooks on Amazon's Kindle or Sony's E Reader and know if you have seen a spike in sales of your titles or have critiques/comments. Have ebooks helped expand your audience?

[I. J. Parker]

Some of my books are on Kindle and other devices. The rights belonged to Penguin, and Penguin sold them. I'm guessing at sales numbers, but my books (selling at 9.99) did quite well to start with on Kindle. Sales have since leveled off. I don't know if that's due to competition from a larger offering or the fact that Kindle owners have read them and now moved on to other books. I have had fan mail from a Kindle owner who assured me that he and his wife would never again read a book any other way. In addition, I saw on Publisher's Marketplace, that e-sales have increased far more rapidly for publishers than print sales.

[Jon Loomis]

I suspect it has to some extent: I know a couple of avid Kindle users who will buy just about anything that comes out in a genre they're interested in, or that's well-reviewed, or that sounds interesting, or, or, or. It's the beauty of getting in relatively early. As the number of Kindle/e-book titles starts to rise to something closer to the total number of titles in print, that bit of early curiosity factor will probably fade out.

[Julie Lomoe]

John and I..J.'s responses reinforce the idea that I should get my books on Kindle soon. My publisher (or printer if you prefer that term, since they're not a traditional publisher) does offer that option.

Julie Lomoe's Musings Mysterioso

[Keith thomson]

It stands to reason that the lower price and greater convenience of e-books will stimulate demand. To what extent? Depends on the book, with myriad variable—on average, my publisher—Doubleday—sells one e-book for every 19 analog. That same 5% rate held for The Last Symbol. I hope that because I'm a blogger, my book will do better than average in e-sales.

[Debbi Mack]

There's no question that e-books have expanded (if not created) my audience, such as it is. My book became available as an e-book on June 2, 2009. To date, I've sold 424 downloads, mostly for Kindle (the rest on Smashwords, Scribd and Lulu). All this with a little online marketing, a handful of good reviews (obtained through my own valiant efforts) and an assist from Joe Konrath, who attached the first chapter of my book to his e-book, A SHOT OF TEQUILA. I've also published my novel in print through Lulu.com. (It's a reissue of an out-of-print work from several years ago.) Sales through Lulu haven't been particularly good. E-book sales, on the other hand, have exceeded my expectations.

[I. J. Parker]

An update on Kindle: I just saw that Amazon has announced its sales of Kindle titles have reached nearly 50 % of its print titles. Surely that's remarkable.

[Debbi Mack]

You bet it's remarkable. And with Harlequin starting a new "e-book only" line that accepts multiple genres . . . how remarkable is that? :) (FYI--This is not to be confused with the controversial Harlequin vanity press.)