[jackz4000]

Real quick easy survey to see  Ebook readers buying habits.  Please do reply.

 

[daringnovelist]

I really had to make a guess.  I went for 50-50.  I seek out mostly traditionally published books, but I come across so many indie books here that I think it equals out.

Camille

 

[Mel Comley]

Mostly Indie books in the past couple of months, with the odd Karen Rose thriller thrown in too.

 

[Betsy the Quilter]

I don't buy very many trad books any more, found so many indies I like!

Betsy

 

[daringnovelist]

I suppose we should pause to define "indie" and "traditional."  Most of the writers here have a little dip in both sides, I think, plus there are many books we buy without knowing.

I consider it traditionally published even if it was a self-published reprint.  I.e. the backlist of an established author is "traditional" no matter how the current edition was printed.  However, new books by an established author (books which were never printed by traditional publishing houses) I consider to be indie.

Camille

 

[Emeline Danvers]

I'm reading a lot of indie books right now, though I don't always finish them if they start to bore me. I think I'm buying more indie right now because I'm writing, and I spend a lot (way too much) time here on kindle boards, so I like to check out the quality of what other authors are putting out. I like supporting other authors, and I'm cheap, too. I also downloaded a bunch of kindleboard authors' books last week while they were free, so I could get a taste of several authors in hopes of finding one I like.

For those who are curious, so far I enjoyed "Out of Time", and I started one of David Dalglish's and haven't finished it yet but it looked good. I have quite a few more that I downloaded for free or bought, and are languishing in my To Be Read "pile" while I spend all my time here or studying about writing.

I think eventually, as I get my own book published, I'll probably read more trad pubbed books. It's just so hard to push the button on a $9 ebook, when the print version is cheaper, and there are plenty of indie books for $5 or less.

 

[JimC1946]

About 90% of my reading for the past year has been indie books. I've read some great ones, too.

 

[Ashley Lynn Willis]

I'm reading about 75% Indie books now, and the quality is wonderful.  I find the indie books tend to be faster paced with great hooks that keep me up late into the night.  Of the two traditionally published books I've read in the past few weeks, one was good, but slow to get started.  The other, I read the sixty-page sample and didn't buy.  It's a very popular book but the pace was excruciatingly slow, and I just couldn't get into it.  I've never had that problem with the indie books in the genre I read - paranormal romance and urban fantasy.  Go Indies!!!   

 

[Alex Sinclair]

Since getting my kindle I have been starting to read other Indy authors. I do still read traditional ebooks from publishers, but I do like my Indy books, as they tend to be more... unique?

 

[JRTomlin]

I buy about 95% indies now. I will buy Martin's new novel when it comes out but otherwise I haven't bought a legacy published novel in months.

Edit: Another issue is how many novels do we buy and read? I bought and read 10 or 12 during May which is about average for me.

 

[Teresa Morgan]

I think this forum will skew heavily toward mostly indies or a mix of. Nearly everyone here has a great interest in independent publishing. You'd get a different result if you went somewhere with more of mix of people.

Teresa

 

[jackz4000]

Yes Teresa I do expect it to skew that way here, but I could always be surprised.  There are many readers who would not buy a cheap Indie ebook for numerous reasons.  I used to be one of them.  Kinda like being in Boston and asking "who like the Sox?"

 

[Ryne Billings]

Yes Teresa I do expect it to skew that way here, but I could always be surprised. There are many readers who would not buy a cheap Indie ebook for numerous reasons. I used to be one of them. Kinda like being in Boston and asking "who like the Sox?"

Just don't ask that question in Chicago.

 

[Todd Russell]

I'm up the middle: 50/50.

 

[Carol (was Dara)]

Voted. I still go traditional more often then not because I still read more paper than digital books. *Ducks the flying tomatoes*

 

[kCopeseeley]

Here is why I voted mostly for Indie, because traditionally published books are still way too expensive for me to buy them regularly.  Indies are more reasonably priced at under $5, usually, so when I buy ebooks, I buy those.  But if we're talking paper books, obviously the majority of those are still trad pubs.  And let's not forget the library.  There is where I get a lot of books that I don't pay for.

 

[AJB]

Can't answer this survey - I hardly buy any books at all (for myself, anyway, I do buy books for other people!). I feed my reading addiction through the library (either as ebooks or pbooks) and I read a lot of classics which are out of copyright and available as ebooks. I do read Indie ebooks, if they're free or available as review copies.

I suppose that makes me a 'freegan'. Probably every author's worst nightmare. (But librarians love me...)

I'd guess that in terms of proportions, it would be about 10% Indies to 90% classics and new published books. I'd be thrilled if there was a way of getting more indie authors into the library channels - so I'm pleased to see that Smashwords is looking into this, with some of its bestselling authors. I think the proportion of Indie authors in my reading list would go up, if it was easier to read their books via the library.

Amanda