I was out running errands yesterday and was a little farther afield than usual. Our cats have a special cat food that we can only get at this one particular store (I know…it’s crazy), and so I was about 35 minutes away from my own brier patch.
I’m planning on seeing some friends soon and remembered that I wanted to pick up wine and beer. I dashed into a wine store.
I picked up what I was looking for quickly, although I wasn’t familiar with the store. A Chardonnay in one hand, some Sam Adams Porter in the other, I was tearing toward the cash register when I saw a man standing at a table, hoping to distribute samples and looking awkward. He smiled hopefully at me.
I was in a hurry…but gosh, I sure know how it feels to stand at tables at bookstores feeling awkward. I sighed, then stopped with a smile.
It was a local brewery. He could tell I was in a hurry and stumbled into a spiel, “We’re right here in Charlotte, on the way to uptown. And—we don’t have any preservatives in our beer.”
I could tell that this was his big selling point. Maybe that info would have meant something different to someone with a different slant, but for me it was interesting from a marketing perspective. “So,” I said, “you can’t ship it then. If it’s preservative-free.”
He looked more cheerful now since I apparently was picking up on an interesting point. “That’s right!”
“So your focus is probably local restaurants?”
“Yes ma’am. And local bars.”
“But you’re starting to sell it in retail outlets?” I asked.
“We’re making inroads with a couple of local chains. Like this one. See, what you’d do,” he gestured to a keg-looking container on the table, “is to drink this by the best-by date, then return the container to us at a retail center and we’d fill it up.”
“The only problem is,” I said, “is that I live in Matthews. So it’s less convenient for me to drive over here to purchase more beer.”
He beamed. “It’s available at the Matthews location of this store!”
Ka-ching! It was a sale.
Only, actually, because it was convenient for me to buy the beer.
Convenience is, I think, one of the major selling points for an e-reader. And I think it should be a reason why publishers shouldn’t worry too much about the e-book revolution.
I’ve found, lately, that I’ve bought even more books than I usually do. And I buy a lot of books.
That’s because the Kindle has made it very, very easy for me to buy a book. Several times now, I’ve been out with a friend and they told me what they were reading and I’ve downloaded it.
I’ve also downloaded books that I hear about on book blogging sites—immediately, before I have an opportunity to forget the title or author.
I know publishers are worried about ebooks. I know they’re treading into uncertain territory.
But I really think that they’re going to get a higher volume of sales. It’s just so easy for us to buy books.
Do you have an e-reader? Do you have one on your wish list? If you do have one, have you seen your book buying habits change?
Yes, I just got an iPod and I totally agree! When I used to hear about a book, I’d email the title to myself and look it up when I had the time. Now I just pull out my iPod and look for it in my Kindle app right there. And I have made more impulse purchases because you’re right–it’s so easy!
I got a Kindle for Christmas, and the number of books I buy on a regular basis has doubled since. Sometimes I even pre-order books in digital form and then (if I like them enough) purchase the hardcover a few weeks later. It’s terrible, but with so many books at your fingertips it’s a nearly impossible habit to break.
Alexis
I was an early adopter for the Kindle. I looked at the Kindle prices of books, and looked at the price of those books in hardcover (or paperback) and thought, “Wow! I’ll earn back in one year what I spent on the Kindle”.
Which I did. Unfortunately for my wallet I’m now buying three times more books than I did when I was buying paper books. And you’re right, it was all because of the convenience.
Though sometimes, it was because a sample hooked me. I’d download a sample, and think, “eh, not my style”. But if it’s a long sample, I got hooked and bought it. (Short samples are less likely to hook me into buying.)
I’ve bought some really horrible books because the long sample hooked me. The point being, I Bought Them! Even if I will never read them again :)
Hi Elizabeth .. the brewery are doing their best aren’t they and as you say convenience is the key.
Love the way you find something that interests you, download it straight away – saves the list.
Certainly there’s money in numbers and more books may well be bought for the ereaders .. how many will be read/listened to is another matter ..
When I get an ereader – I’ll see – til then it’s books for me .. cheers Hilary
Elizabeth – Convenience is most definitely where it’s at in terms of why people buy E-readers. I don’t have one (yet), but I do have E-reading software on my PC and I’ve got access to so much that way! My book buying habits haven’t changed too much, but I’m sure they will. And I know that I have a lot more books than I did because of all of the great free downloads I’ve found of the classics.
I have only recently obtained an ereader and yes I fully agree with you. I buy more books now than I ever did. It’s so easy and accessible and the huge pile of books I have waiting to read are not half as heavy as the real things would be! Saying that though, I do still love to hold a book in my hand and have two books on the go. A hands on book and one on my reader.
I agree with you about book sales increasing due to the ereaders. I am excited to see what the future holds. Not afraid at all, altho I used to be! I have a kindle but don’t use it much yet.
Yes, I own two iPads. I found that I do purchase more books and since the price is lower (for the most part) I’m much more willing to take a chance on a new author.
I love my Kindle and have bought way more books than before. Although, a lot of books I’ve bought are free. If I had to walk into a bookstore, those books would have cost me money. I do agree with what Suzi says, I wish the sample writers/publishers gave was longer or of different portions of the book. Often I just go online and look at the “look inside” on amazon.
I love my Kindle and have bought way more books than before. Although, a lot of books I’ve bought are free. If I had to walk into a bookstore, those books would have cost me money. I do agree with what Suzi says, I wish the sample writers/publishers gave was longer or of different portions of the book. Often I just go online and look at the “look inside” on amazon.
Oh, I am going to buy one for sure. And I have had so many conversations with folks about them. As soon as I see someone reading one (like in the doctor’s waiting room) I ask them what they think. I am sure I’ll buy more with that ease AND I hope I also do the library thing with it as I do that a lot anywho. I am not worried that I will stop buying or borrowing regular books because I will need to for certain reasons – I read in the tub or I need to follow a knitting pattern etc…
I’m not worried that books will come in many forms – I listen to audio books in my car all the time and appreciate the difference. (and being able to read while driving!)
I have the Kindle app on my iPhone, but the actual Kindle is still on my wish list. I don’t buy paper books anymore, but I do buy more books now because I buy the books I would normally buy from the published authors I follow and I also buy a larger percentage of books from Indie authors who offer low prices. At $.99 to $3.99, I’m far less hesitant to fork over money to try an unknown author. And like you said, it’s so convenient. I hear or read about a book and immediately grab my phone and send a sample to my Kindle app so I don’t forget!
I don’t have an ereader and don’t plan to get one but you make an excellent point. It is all about convience. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve gone into a book store to buy a certain book and it wasn’t there so I never ended up buying it. That problem simply doesn’t exist with ebooks. I think if handled right they could be a very good thing for the industry.
Definitely! Since January I have been on a book buying ban because my TBR is spilling over. But I *do* buy occasional e-books as they don´t take up any space. They sneak in, unnoticed by my family, so they don´t count, do they? ;)
Yes! I use the Kindle app on my iPad, and I am reading so much more these days. I download the samples of books that I come across online that look interesting, and if the sample hooks me, I buy it immediately. I really love the new to me authors I’ve discovered as a result.
Mallory–It’s definitely an impulse buy. And if I had taken time to plan a trip to the bookstore, drive over, park, go in, wander around–I might not have made the same choices in books!
Alexis–It’s hard to say no to the possibility of having so many books in our libraries–and getting them immediately!
Suzi–Moneywise, it definitely makes sense. I think you’ve brought up a good point on the book samples. I’ve heard the same thing several times from readers. Hope the publishers are paying attention–long samples work better!
Hilary–That’s a good point–I think we all end up with a pretty big TBR list of ebooks that we’ve already bought!
Rebecca–And we don’t have to lug armloads of books with us when we go on trips!
Karen–The more I use my e-reader, the better I feel about publishing’s future!
Alex–I’ve found that, too. If the cost isn’t high, it’s definitely easier to take a risk on discovering someone new to read.
Clarissa–I think that we all need to have a marketing course about the samples! I think that Amazon probably has a good handle on how to sample content that makes us want to buy a book.
Jan–Me too. I’m buying a lot of paperbacks still, too, but the number of ebooks I’ve bought has really grown.
Margot–Great point about the classics! It’s really nice to have a classical library (and a free one!) right where I can access it.
Lisa–It used to be that I’d hear about a book recommendation and I’d just jot it down on a piece of paper (which I’d promptly lose). So much better to just carry the Kindle with me and download it there!
Heather–That’s what happened to me the other day at Borders. My son had asked me to buy him a particular book and they didn’t have it in stock. They could get it in a few days, if I could come back. But I knew I couldn’t get back over to that side of town then, so I left. I’ll probably just download it to Kindle for him!
Belle–They’ve certainly made it easy to find new authors and browse for new books and series. :)
Dorte–Exactly! If they’re not taking up space, it doesn’t even count as a purchase!