[CatherineM]

Is this a weird thing? Cuz I think it is.

My book about horses was out a good four years before I ever thought about trying to promote it.
Sales have always been almost 100% paperbacks.

I'm sure the genre is involved, too.

 

[markpauloleksiw]

my novels are in teen and young adult genre and paperbacks outsell my ebooks by a wide margin. I think it is all a genre thing.

Mark

 

[CatherineM]

And the ebook has more also-boughts than the paperback.
Go figure that one out, haha.

 

[Lisa5]

Is this a weird thing? Cuz I think it is.

My book about horses was out a good four years before I ever thought about trying to promote it.
Sales have always been almost 100% paperbacks.

I'm sure the genre is involved, too.

It's definitely a genre thing. I was surprised selling my first non fiction book that OMG I'm selling paper backs because with erotic romance novels I'd sell one paperback to 100 ebooks and my paperback sales were always pretty pathetic.

 

[chrisstevenson]

I dunno. Something's up. I've seen increased PB sales. Never before. Can't figure it.

 

[Simon Haynes]

More online shopping for print books means more chances people will stumble across something they might not have encountered in a brick and mortar store.

I'm guessing that's the reason.

Or maybe people were worried civilisation might collapse and the power might go out permanently, which means candles and paperbacks, not electronic gadgets.

My own PB sales are up 60% from last month, with a mix of fiction and non-fic.

 

[Chris M. Vise]

Granted I only have one book that has been out since late August, but from the beginning it has consistently sold more paperbacks. The ratio has been five to one in favor of paperbacks. I have considered the possibility that it was my audience of Generation X readers having a preference for paperback.

 

[wearywanderer64]

People like pictures in non-fiction. Paperbacks are best to see them.

 

[Loosecannon]

Agreed with all of the above. My paperbacks are now outselling ebooks too. I think is because more people are just staying home and re-discovering reading, instead of bar hopping, dancing, eating out, or seeing movies. Thank the pandemic.

Remember people that buy more than 1 or two ebooks a year are a small minority of book consumers...a much larger percentage of readers only read physical books.

 

[markpauloleksiw]

Best explanation I heard is that ebooks were the tool for people on the go.

Now that people are at home they are choosing paperbacks over ebooks. Raises interesting questions on the future of ebooks...as more people work from home post-pandemic will paperbacks continue to make a resurgence.

Mark

 

[wearywanderer64]

I wonder if people are getting fed up looking at screens as they're forced to do it because of school work of their job. And as somebody else mentioned, they're no longer on the go.

 

[chrisstevenson]

I wonder if people are getting fed up looking at screens as they're forced to do it because of school work of their job. And as somebody else mentioned, they're no longer on the go.

It's a fair question. I can't understand how a family, who might be financially stressed or watching their money, would actually put out five to six times the cost of an e-book in favor of a paperback. Due to the germ phobia with packaging and the delays with FedEx and UPS, I would think the purchasing choice would be completely opposite, where people were digging for the reduced boxed sets, free and 99-cent e-book specials. I'm totally befuddled about this. Yet, I'm happy that this is the first time I've unloaded so many paperbacks. I will NEVER figure out this industry or the book-buying public.

 

[jb1111]

It may be that a lot of the eBook purchasers are more strapped than your average paperback purchaser, and those who have the extra funds to drop on a paperback presently have more time to read books due to the pandemic - and they have no problem paying extra for something tangible.

 

[ShayneRutherford]

Don't print sales always go up during the lead-up to Christmas?