Simba Information

Minding the Bookstore Redux: How a Mentality Turned into a Mistake
August 1, 2014

A few years ago, when I was reading several annual SEC reports from the soon-to-be defunct Borders Group, I came across a sentence that not only defined the dysfunction of one retailer, but the dangerous mindset that has been crippling the book industry for decades.

The Market for Social Sciences and Humanities Publications
January 28, 2014

Dan Strempel of Simba Information has kindly made available to me Simba's recent report on the market for social sciences and humanities (SSH) publications, Global Social Science & Humanities Publishing 2013-2014. There are not many encouraging signs in this study for publishers, but it's worthwhile to review the numbers and the structure of the market, some of which may be surprising to many readers. Simba estimates the global market for SSH materials in all languages at $5.2 billion, a figure that is a fraction (perhaps one-quarter) of the STM market worldwide.

Who Wins in the Holiday Book Buying Spree?
December 17, 2013

Although it's too early to say if book consumers have come out in force this holiday season, and my personal situations no clear indicator, we can take a look at recent purchasing trends to see if publishers and booksellers will have something to celebrate this holiday season.

Self Publishing Gains Momentum as Divide Between Print and Digital Book Consumption Widens
November 1, 2013

Simba Information, a media and market research firm which created The iPad and Its Owner, Trade Electronic Book Publishing and other intelligence products, has released a new report: The Rise and Impact of Self Publishing, which details the journey self publishing has taken over the last few years-and shows compelling data on who is actually buying self published books and in what format. 

 

Children’s/YA Books Often Bypassing Intended Audience in Digital World
October 17, 2013

Stamford, CT, October 16, 2013 - Simba Information, a media and market research firm behindThe Amazon Kindle Report 2013, The iPad and Its Owner  and other intelligence tools, has released the eighth edition of Children's Publishing Market Forecast, which has increased its coverage of activity in the children's/YA book market to educational apps to be used by children.

Do Tablet Owners Read Ebooks?
September 17, 2013

More and more publishers are directing their ebook efforts towards tablet users. Last year's BISG Consumer Attitude Toward Ebook Reading survey bolstered the movement with results indicating that ebook consumers (44%) prefer tablet devices as opposed to dedicated ereaders (42%). In fact ereader preference dropped 7% last year, which suggests a trend that will continue to bolster tablet popularity.

3 in 4 Kindle Fire Users Read Ebooks - A better Performance Than iPad
July 16, 2013

Stamford, CT, July 16, 2013 — Simba Information, the market research firm specializing in publishing and media, has released a sister publication to the most recent edition of the prophetic Trade E-Book Publishing report series: The Amazon Kindle Report 2013. By drawing upon exclusive, nationally representative data, Simba has estimated about three out of four Kindle Fire owners use e-books, which makes owners of that tablet more engaged with digital book content than iPad owners as Simba has consistently found that about half of all iPad owners aren’t e-book users.