Smartphone users are used to reading on their phones: texts, tweets, emails, news, social media sites, blogs… but do they also read books?
As part of a two-year consumer study, BookNet Canada asked book buyers whether they read books on their phone and, if so, how frequently. This question was asked of over 1,000 book-buying Canadians per quarter from the beginning of 2012 up until the end of the third quarter of 2013.
On January 1st, certain New Year’s resolutions are always popular—eat better, exercise more, quit smoking (again), finally write that book—but the start of a new year is a great time for business-related resolutions, too. So if you’re looking to get more out of your book-related business, here are five resolutions that can help you start the year off right.
It has been years since Apple coined the phrase “There’s an app for that.” Now, as we head into the time of year when smartphones, tablets, and other app-using devices fly off the shelves, let’s look at which apps and devices are the most popular among Canadians.
As part of our recent study of reading trends among young people in Canada, Measuring Attitudes and Adoption of Digital Content for Kids and Teens, we asked a series of questions about app usage and attitude towards apps as they relate to reading.
Want to know how your digital publishing program measures up? Curious about how, why, and how fast Canadian publishers are going digital?
BookNet’s latest research initiative, The State of Digital Publishing in Canada, will set a benchmark to track the progress of digital publishing in Canada. But first, we need you to tell us about your digital program.
In October 2005, BookNet Canada began tracking sales data on print books in the Canadian market, including average list and selling prices. Consumer prices on other goods had long been tracked, but this was the beginning of comprehensive, national, data gathering on books.
At the time, a bag of roasted coffee beans cost $11.25/kg, a domestic stamp was $.50 and a ticket to the movies cost just over $6.00. Today, coffee is close to $20/kg, mailing a letter will set you back $.62, and a 3D movie ticket can cost as much as $18.00. It seems that everything we consume is getting more expensive.
But a new BookNet Canada research study, available to SalesData subscribers only, has revealed that books are bucking the trend…
Children are now, for the most part, being raised as digital natives in North America. Their little fingers become adept at swiping screens at an early age, but parents and educators are still debating whether children should be reading much online. Where do things stand now? We’re working on some consumer research of our own to find out, but in the meantime I thought we could look at what’s happening in the US and UK.
When I first began work on The Canadian Book Consumer reports I was overwhelmed by the data. The first week is a blur of Excel spreadsheets and percentages, mixed in with feelings of trepidation and uncertainty. But as I continued I discovered that there were distinct patterns in the data, particularly when I was tasked with creating consumer profiles based on genre preferences.
BookNet Canada is a non-profit organization that develops technology, standards, and education to serve the Canadian book industry. Founded in 2002 to address systemic challenges in the industry, BookNet Canada supports publishing companies, booksellers, wholesalers, distributors, sales agents, industry associations, literary agents, media, and libraries across the country.
