[LMB] the economics of books

[Lois McMaster Bujold]

[LMB] the economics of books
Peter Granzeau pgranzeau at cox.net
Sun Feb 7 23:16:28 GMT 2010


At 10:04 PM 2/6/2010, Howard Brazee wrote:

 >On Feb 6, 2010, at 7:44 PM, Laura Gallagher wrote:
 >
 >> I certainly hope it is.  The idea that 98% NEVER buy a book?
 >
 >
 >When is this doomsday scenario predicted to happen (and 98% of what 
population?)

I don't know if that 98% is correct or not.  Generally, one copy of a 
book is read in a single household.  There were 105.5 million households 
in 2000, so if a blockbuster sells 2 million copies, it is reaching 2% 
of the households, in which may live 3 persons per household, or 6 
million prospective readers.  That's 6% already.  Now obviously, 
different books appeal to different readers.  You may seldom read 
romance, or adventure, or mystery, or westerns, or historical fiction, 
but avidly read science fiction or fantasy, the next person may shun 
SF&F and read romance, the next may read general fiction and shun all 
genre fiction.  Homes with children may buy children's literature and 
juvenile fiction.  Libraries keep books moving around; new releases may 
keep a book in constant circulation. reaching 20 or more households in a 
year.

The number of people that read is still abominably low, but probably is 
closer to 40% than 2%.

-- 
Regards, Pete



*** Note that you're conflating two different things; how many people 
read books vs. how many people buy books.

Only the ones who actually buy books -- new books, not used -- and in a 
reasonably timely fashion at that, affect the marketplace.  The rest are 
free riders (or free readers... :-)

Most of us are both, at one time or another.  I both get books from the 
library and buy used, from time to time, usually when experimenting with 
a new author or genre.  The authors I especially like, I move up to 
buying at least some new, as a conscious vote (plus they're the one's 
I'd want to keep and re-read.)  So from a larger pool of 
free-rider-reads a much smaller pool of purchases arise, generally of 
items with which I am already familiar.

An exception arises when I buy weird stuff on-line that isn't available 
locally, out of curiosity or for research.  Manga, for one example.

Ta, L.