What eBook Readers Want; Building the Ideal Online Bookstore

At the Tools of Change conference in New York City, Jane Litte (Dear Author), Angela James (Carina Press), and Sarah Wendell (pictured, from Smart Bitches, Trashy Books) unveiled the results to a reader survey.

The trio asked more than 2,700 readers a simple question: “Do you feel like publishers care about you as an ebook reader?” In a problematic result, 75 percent of the respondents answered “No.”

The survey polled some dedicated readers–50 percent of the respondents bought between one and five new books every month. At the same time, 73 percent of the readers said they had not read pirated books. You can see the whole slideshow here.

Analyzing the survey results, the trio pointed to two online marketplaces that illustrated best practices for improving eBook reader relationships: Zappos and Fictionwise.

At Fictionwise, they appreciated how customers could preorder the eBook and use wishlists to keep track of future purchases. At Zappos, they liked how shoppers could compare purchases with other shoppers. “Being informed what other people are buying creates a community around that product,” Sarah Wendell concluded.

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