A key Kindle fact that every analyst predicting Kindle revenues misses or ignores is that the Kindle increases how much people read i.e.
- We are not talking about people who used to read 5 books a year reading 5 Kindle books a year now.
- We are talking about people reading 3 to 10 times more than they used to.
Yes - 3 to 10 times more.
This is the BIG, HUGE fact that everyone is turning a blind eye to.
the Kindle – the combination of the device, the books, and the wireless delivery hugely increases how much people read.
This is why a few million Kindle owners are making up 48% of purchases when Kindle Editions are available.
- Not only is Amazon capturing the best customers i.e. multiple books a week readers, regular readers.
- It is also increasing how much they read, and increasing how much casual readers read.
Data Points – Kindle Owners are reading 3-10 times more books
Consider a recent thread at the Amazon Forum -
- Mr. Johnson went from 3-4 books a year to 16 books in 5 months.
- People are mentioning they read more, its faster to read on the Kindle, and other benefits.
- Mentions that people are reading amazing amounts compared to pre-Kindle.
- Few books a year to 40 in first year with Kindle.
- 3-4 books a year to 21 in 1.25 years.
- 1-2 books a year to 3-5 books a month.
- 10 a year to 30 in 9 months.
- Twice as many (and more fun).
- For me, it went from 5 or so books a year to 14 Kindle Books, 2 Kindle for iPhone books, 1 Sony Reader Book and 4 paper books in 7 months.
Based on whether you love or hate eBooks you can view this as -
- The Kindle is great for reading. OR
- Self-selection bias and only people who read more are writing on the forum and they’re adding comments everywhere and it’s 10 total people who read more.
Why are people reading so much more?
The Kindle makes both buying and reading the path of least resistance i.e.
Pre-Kindle we had -
- Watch a TV Show. Zero Effort.
- Go to the store and buy a book. 30 Minutes and a Drive.
- Play a Game or watch YouTube – Anytime.
- Buy a book – Daytime Hours.
- Talk on the Phone with any of your friends – anywhere.
- Read a book – only at home because you don’t carry all your books with you.
- Get an iPhone App recommendation – download it instantly.
- Get a Book Recommendation - Wait for delivery OR Get it on your next ‘running errands’ or shopping trip.
Plus the constant distraction of 50 other things making computers relatively useless for reading.
Post Kindle we have -
- Zero Effort to buy and get a book.
- A Device that makes reading easier.
- A Device that focuses your attention.
- Carry all your books with you.
- Browse and buy anytime – even 2 am.
- Get a recommendation – buy it instantly.
The Kindle is taking a lot of the gumption traps (things that mess with our intent to read) and removing them entirely.
Surely, Reading isn’t going to become fashionable, is it?
The logical progression of what we’re seeing is that in a few years -
- More and more people will switch to eReaders and eBooks because of the convenience – Shop anytime, shop anywhere, carry tons of books, change fonts, text to speech, read on your iPhone - the benefits keep piling up.
- A lot more people will become regular readers i.e. the number of people who read multiple books a month will swell.
- Lots of people denied access to the full range of books get access again i.e. low vision people, the blind, people with arthritis, etc.
- In general the number of books read per person will go up.
- Amazon and other companies (especially Google) will keep improving the Intent to Action path i.e. how easy it is to start reading and how easy it is to read.
- A positive feedback loop. A lot of people who like or love to read were being denied the opportunity because every other activity was easier, quicker, more accessible, etc. Now, they start reading again and they like it more. Its a vicious positive cycle – that book you read is more satisfying than wasting 2 hrs on YouTube or Facebook plus it’s good for you.
Yes. Reading is making a come-back. It’s not that reading was disliked – it was just too much effort.
People live/like/love to Read - Remove the barriers and they will
Look at the top 10 lists -
- iPhone Apps – Photoshop Mobile, Line Up (a game), World War Honor Points (game add on), Fling (game, SFW), Sex Jokes, Alarm Clock, Facebook, SlapStar (game), Guitar Rock Tour (game), Pandora Radio.
- YouTube Videos - Bounce (people jumping), Strip for Your Life, Balloon Boy Vomits, Baby I’m Not (song), Russian H* and Raw Eggs, Audrey Kitching inspired Hair, McDonalds, Big Soft Sexy Curls, Awesome Costco Girl, Assassin’s Creed – Top 10 Kills.
- TV Shows – House, NCIS, Smallville, Heroes, Grey’s Anatomy,Supernatural, Family Guy, Gossip Girl, Bones, One Tree Hill.
- Kindle Edition Books – 72 hours, The Christmas Bus, The Lost Symbol, Pursuit of Honor by Vince Flynn, Nine Dragons by Michael Connelly, The Templar Legacy, The Keeper, Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin, Rough Country, Giving Chase.
We all know that a Sex Jokes iPhone App or a Balloon Boy Vomits Video is a waste of time and a good book (doesn’t even have to be Benjamin Franklin’s Autobiography) is good for us.
However, Reading was ridiculously difficult compared to every other of these activities.
15 minutes to go buy a copy of Nine Dragons or 5 seconds to navigate to YouTube?
Laziness was beating good intention most of the time.
Now it’s not.
People will choose reading more often as its more satisfying and has lots of benefits i.e. better vocabulary, higher intelligence (although YouTube will probably hire a lobbyist or scientists to argue it), you use your imagination, you’re a participant, etc.
Let people read that one first book on their Kindle or eReader, make reading and buying books really easy and that’s it. Then the vicious positive cycle steps in.
Filed under: kindle
In the early stages of this revolution, the spread of the English language across the world could play a significant role along with other educational factors. China is set to have the largest population of English-speakers in the world now that it is a compulsory subject to be taught in schools (anyone from China care to comment – is this really true?).
We do not have good multi-purpose, cheap education-specific devices yet but they are sure to come. With luck, that will Kindle the revolution and perhaps your prediction that reading will become cool again, will come to pass.
I always read a LOT. I don’t know if I’m reading any MORE, but it’s certainly more convenient for me.
I have a Sony Reader 505, because I did NOT want the internet connection. I needed some way to control my book purchases, and having to come home, go into the office and connect to the computer I hoped would help–and it has.
The frustrating bit is that some publishers STILL do not release books in e-book format, or price them poorly. (If a book is out in mass-market paperback format, I’m not paying more than the paperback for the e-book. I’d like to pay less, but I will pay the same amount–preferably with the “Wal-Mart discount.”) Some publishers charge More for the e-book than for the MM paperback–which is the only other format the book is released in. Dumb? Yeah. McMillan-St. Martin’s-Tor/Forge needs to get a clue.