Bringing e-Readers Into the Discussion

How is the e-book revolution playing out in that beloved bastion of literary fandom, the book club? That's just what the website Reading Group Choices (RGC) sought to find out in a recent survey of e-book usage among book club members. The survey, conducted on RGC's website and through a physical mailing from Jan. 1 to March 25, 2011, encompassed thousands of reading groups representing over 200,000 readers, according to a company press release. The 2011 survey asked about reading group habits in 2010. (A similar survey last year asked about reading group habits in 2009.)

As it turns out, book clubs are increasingly incorporating e-books into the mix. Though the 2011 survey found the "vast majority" of book club members still prefer the printed book, 25.5 percent reported using an e-reader in 2010, compared to 15.6 percent in 2009. The Amazon Kindle leads the way among e-reading book club members, with 59 percent owning Kindles. The Nook ranked second at 29 percent. Almost 20 percent read e-books on tablets.

An interesting factor noted by RGC owner Barbara Mead is the way book club members' preferences may effect e-book adoption. As she notes, 60 percent of titles purchased in e-book format (in the general marketplace) are in the romance fiction category. Book club members, however, tend to favor literary fiction and memoirs.

Book Business Extra asked Mead about this, as well as for more information on the survey and other book club trends (such as use of social media).

Book Business Extra: You mention that some of the most popular genres on e-books (e.g., romance) are not as popular with book clubs. Do you expect book clubs' predilection for literary fiction to cause e-book adoption to lag behind the general population?

Barbara Mead: I doubt it. There are a number of other reasons book groups will find e-readers useful in supporting their discussions ... [so] I expect the trend to continue. Book club members are so passionate about their books that they will look for any avenue to read and discuss them.