Who would want to pay $20 – or even just $10 – for a digital file they will never own and cannot share with friends or sell on, when they can buy a print book for the same price, own it from day one, share it as many times as they like, and sell it on when they are tired of it?
Of course every survey has its agenda, so no surprises here, and of course no denying that when it comes to book sales print is king, although per many a TNPS analysis, the mainstream ebook sales counts miss a substantial part of the market.
But the most amusing takeaway from this study commissioned by renewable pulp and paper manufacturer Stora Enso and published by PrintWeek, is in the last segment of this summary:
Nearly two-thirds (65%) of people who buy books, e-books, or audio-books said they like physical books best. One in five (21%) preferred e-books, and just 14% opted for audiobooks.
Let’s hear that again:
Just 14% opted for audiobooks.
So all these publishers wetting themselves over the audiobook boom are wasting their time then.
A potent reminder if needed that these sort of statistics are pretty nonsensical and tell us very little about real consumer preferences.
The reality is that so long as mainstream publishers charge comparable prices for the ebook and the print version, there is no real contest. Who would want to pay $20 – or even just $10 – for a digital file they will never own and cannot share with friends or sell on, when they can buy a print book for the same price, own it from day one, share it as many times as they like, and sell it on when they are tired of it?
Audiobooks? Level the playing field by bringing down audiobook prices or making them available on subscription (as opposed to the monthly single credit) and then we can talk meaningfully about consumer choice in the book markets.
