1. Bitches Smart Women Read eBooks Kassia Krozser – Booksquare.com Angela James – Samhain Publishing Malle Vallik – Harlequin Enterprises Sarah Wendell – Smart Bitches, Trashy Books

2. Survey Results 60% of our readers are between the ages of 30 and 50.

3. Survey Results Most of our readers buy and read 2 – 5 books per month.

4. Survey Results 60% of the women surveyed read ebooks on their laptops and 35% read on desktop computers.

5. Survey Results Our readers indicated that they move between devices as circumstances warrant (line at post office, soccer practice, commuting).

6. Survey Results Palms/PDAs, Blackberry, iPhone, iPod Touch are popular portable choices.

7. Survey Results 13% of our survey group are Kindle users. 17% are Sony Reader owners.

8. What Readers Said “I have hacked my Nintendo DS Lite to be a text reader, with some "homebrew" software and an old media player I got on eBay. Shhh, don't tell Nintendo! I used to use my Palm-based PDA, but it died and I didn't replace it.”

9. What Readers Said “I have e-books on my Palm too but that is just an emergency back-up; I do 99% of my e-book reading on my Kindle.”

10. What Readers Said “ebookwise, although now that they have added a backlight to the sony i may buy one.”

11. Survey Results Most of the readers surveyed purchase books directly from the publisher website.

12. Survey Results Fictionwise is the second most popular choice of ebook retailer.

13. What Readers Said “In the past it's almost exclusively been Powells, once Amazon quit selling them for other than its own reader. Now that I've discovered Fictionwise, though, that will be changing.”

14. What Readers Said “I also check them out from my library through Overdrive Media.”

15. What Readers Said “I prefer the Indies.”

16. What Readers Said “I look for well-formatted ebooks at a reasonable price. I shop multiple sites to acquire the best content!”

17. What Readers Said “I get a lot of my e-books free from the Manybooks.net website of Gutenberg Project e-books and from things like the Baen Free Library and the Tor e-book giveaway. I often buy books from Baen and sometimes from Fictionwise, but Amazon is my most frequent source of "paid for" e-books.”

18. What Readers Said “I buy most from eHarlequin.”

19. What Readers Said “I also use booksonboard.com quite frequently.”

20. What Readers Said “Also online retailers like booksonboard. It depends on where the book I'm looking for is available. I've had some difficulties buying ebooks here in the U.K., where the ebook is available to those in the US/Canada. Which makes NO sense to me.”

21. What Readers Said “Most of the time I buy from Fictionwise, however they don't always have the books right after they're available on the publisher's website, so then I buy from the publisher. It's easier to find books by category on one site than search through various publisher's pages, at least until I'm familiar with the company and know its typical products.”

22. What Readers Said “I've bought ebooks from Powells and Mobipocket.com as well (I read books in both the Mobipocket and ereader formats.).”

23. What Readers Said “Specialist epublisher e.g. Samhain - direct from their site. Other publishers eg Penguin, Orbit etc, I shop around at various sellers including Fictionwise and Books on Board to find the cheapest price. I never buy ebooks from Amazon as I do not own a Kindle and Amazon UK neither sell Kindle or other formats.”

24. What Readers Said “I won't buy anything with DRM on it. Way too much hassle. I've used Books on Board in the past when I was giving DRM a whirl. It took their customer service team over a week to sort out my problem. 3 months later all my drm'd books stopped working. Argh that was the end of me purchasing anything with DRM on it.”

25. What Readers Said “My shiny new Kindle is actually in the mail on its way to me, so I have up until now mostly read ebooks on my laptop and purchased them through the publisher or their designated ebook distributor. I anticipate purchasing many books through Amazon once the Kindle arrives, though.”

26. What Readers Said “Publisher website for Harlequin/M&B, WH Smith, sometimes the Sony bookstore. Fictionwise for my Palm books.”

27. What Readers Said “Books on Board primarily, but I end up shopping several different sites for NYT Bestsellers that are not released there in my preferred format as early as other site. Therefore, I end up with my library spread across 6-7 sites.”

28. What Readers Said “I buy from publisher websites too, because not every ebook is available in a digital bookstore like Fictionwise or books on board, or they become available much later than on the publishers side. This is a big drawback as far as I am concerned because I would love the convenience of buying from one source.”

29. What Readers Said “Most eBookstores are priced *higher* than the comparable print book, so I generally go to the place with the lowest prices. I'd much prefer to buy the print copy and receive a code for the eBook version also, though - similar to the way digital copies of movies are being offered now.”

30. What Readers Said “I prefer buying DRM free ebooks.”

31. What Readers Said “Think outside the box of what you think people like. E gives great opportunity to visit some story formats and deliveries that weren't feasible with print. E is not just print on a screen--it can be so much more. It's an exciting time to try new things, and readers are watching.”

32. What Readers Said “I generally get them wherever they're cheapest.”

33. What Readers Said “50/50 between Sony and Harlequin.”

34. What Readers Said “Almost exclusively from Baen.”

35. What Readers Said “I will purchase ebooks that are not in a SECURE Format, that away I can convert it to TEXT Format so I can read it on my Sony Reader.”

36. What Readers Said “Books on Board. It would be nice when a new release is out it is also availble as an ebook. The sales should count for the author. I am finding that my local bookstore B&N does not put all the books out on release day. This is very frustrating.”

37. What Readers Said “I'll buy a Kindle when they come below 150 bucks.”

38. What Readers Said “Print them out and read them.”

39. What Readers Said “I wish I had a dedicated ereader (not easy to get in Russia, and too expensive). A laptop is definitely not ideal and my phone is too small for more than 20 minutes or so.”

40. What Readers Said “Nintendo DS, Sony Clie PDA, have used Palm Pilot in the past.”

41. What Readers Said “Before the iPhone, I often printed them out to read in bed.”

42. What Readers Said “I use the Cybook and an eBookwise. I'll admit, I seldom use the Cybook, and I've lent one of my co-workers my eBookwise...”

43. What Readers Said “iPod Touch plus Stanza.”

44. What Readers Said “I have an eBookwise, but most of my reading lately is on an Eee PC. So, netbook, which is sort of Laptop only not. I've got a laptop and I don't read on it, but I read on the netbook ALL the time.”

45. What Readers Said “I use my iPAQ PDA only because I'm waiting for better selections in eReader devices.”

46. What Readers Said “Well, technically, it's an XO (the OLPC laptop). I've got most of my e-books in a format that it reads, and the size, display, and weight are perfect.”

47. Survey Results Women read across all genres, with romance and erotic fiction leading the pack. Mystery/Suspense and Science Fiction/Fantasy are the next largest categories.

48. Survey Results Non-Fiction is least read among our survey participants – mostly because the content wasn’t there.

49. What Readers Said Wanted: Early Readers and Chapter books for children under 12

50. What Readers Said “I'd love to read older mysteries (e.g. Charlotte Macleod) and more British authors.”

51. What Readers Said Wanted: Older, previously published, books.

52. What Readers Said “More technical and professional books (i.e. books about specific software packages, books intended for professional development).”

53. What Readers Said “It's not really a matter of selection in genre lacking - more of a matter of publisher and author. For example, I can only find one Nalini Singh in e-book format. Marjorie Liu's Iron Hunt is available in e-form, but her Dirk & Steel series is not.”

54. What Readers Said Wanted: Graphic novels.

55. What Readers Said It's the impulse buy factor, more than anything else, that attracts me to ebooks. If I hear about a book or read a favorable review, I can whip out my credit card and be reading it in a matter of minutes rather than slogging to the brick and mortar or waiting a few days for delivery. I also enjoy the opportunity to sample novella length works at lower price points.

56. What Readers Said “Backlists! I hate when you can only get half an author's catalog in ebook format.”

57. What Readers Said “Can't rely on non-fiction books being available as ebooks.”

58. What Readers Said “This isn't a genre, but I would love to see more of author's backlists. Sometime I find an author I love but I can't find any of their earlier books available. I think having them in ebook format would be an awesome option.”

59. What Readers Said Wanted: Sci Fi romance and Central Asian Nomadic history

60. What Readers Said Wanted: Manga, comics.

61. What Readers Said Wanted: Current travel guidebooks.

62. What Readers Said “Not a particular book, just wish more books were on the Kindle.”

63. What Readers Said “My 8 year old son loves my ebookwise. I wish I could find age appropriate books for him.”

64. Survey Results 57% of survey respondents are willing to pay between five and ten dollars for an ebook.

65. Survey Results 88% of respondents generally pay between $1 and $10.

66. Survey Results Less than 4% are willing to pay traditional hardcover retail prices for ebooks.

67. What Readers Said “I honestly don't understand the publisher's reasoning on this one well enough to articulate a response. When I heard they were charging hardcover prices, I was, literally, struck dumb.”

68. What Readers Said “It doesn't cost as much to produce or distribute. Plus I can't lend them or sell them secondhand.”

69. What Readers Said “The extra profit margin made doesn't go to the authors. I might be more willing to pay if I knew that the greater difference between cost price and retail price for e-book was directly benefitting the author, because they deserve it.”

70. What Readers Said “I don't have the hard asset in my hand, and I do not have full ownership the way I would with a print book. I only have rights of readership. If I pay full price, I should have full ownership.”

71. What Readers Said “1) The reading is so limited-- relatively few books are available as ebooks, and those that are have to be read on particular devices. 2) If I don't want to keep a print book, I can sell it or swap it; not so with an ebook. I realize that isn't a plus for publishers. 3) Production costs are lower for an ebook, and that should be reflected in the pricing.”

72. What Readers Said “...this is just silly! The reason behind the higher price for a hardcover book, or a trade size paperback, is the cost of the better materials used in producing it. An ebook should be priced on length - nothing more - no matter the cost of the print version. After all, print versions are often later re- issued in another (cheaper) format, would you then change the price of the ebook?”

73. What Readers Said “You're paying for the same story by the same author. A different format doesn’t mean the book is substandard. Though, being sold cheaper would make for a nice selling point, marketing wise, for the ebook version.”

74. What Readers Said “I can live with paying hardcover prices, but sometimes the ebooks are even more expensive than the equivalent print book on Amazon.”

75. What Readers Said “I'm willing to spend the same as a paperback (but not hc or trade) for an ebook, just to save the space in the house.”

76. What Readers Said “Reluctantly yes, I’d pay hardcover prices, but *only* if 1) the book is not DRM'd as I consider this equal to rental which should be cheaper, and 2) if the quality regarding formatting and proofreading is on the same level. I assume that is what I pay for, but unfortunately it's far from always the case.”

77. What Readers Said “I have essentially no "fair use" rights with ebooks. Some even prohibit reading aloud. Further, I have no physical object and the publisher incurs no shipping or manufacturing costs. Finally, ebook formats are sometimes incomplete. They sometimes omit footnotes and the like.”

78. What Readers Said “Don't price yourselves out of the market. Readers aren't stupid. We know that there are still costs associated with producing ecopy, but we also know they are not as high as producing print. Retail costs need to be lower for ebook to encourage more readers that way, and also to reflect those lower production costs.”

79. What Readers Said “While I understand publishers pricing the ebooks at the same price as the paperback or hardcover, I'm confused on those with a higher price tags. For example, the latest ebooks from Avon (HarperCollins) at priced at US$14.99 when the paperback is US$6.99. Also, Sherrilyn Kenyon's ebooks released in Mobipocket are sold at US$14.00 when the paperbacks are priced at US$7.99. Its almost like as if the publishers are discouraging people from buying the ebooks”

80. What Readers Said “I don't object to the same price as a paperback say $4 to $10 which I consider a fair price for content of a normal size book. It is the hardcover prices I feel are unrealistic. You are not getting the hardbound book itself. If I really wanted that brand new release that is out in hardcover, I would purchase the actual hardbound edition not the ebook.”

81. What Readers Said “It's a little bit high. Given inventory, manufacturing, and all the other steps that occur with print media after final editing are virtually eliminated...but then I'm a consumer and we always want something for less.”

82. Survey Results Convenience is the number one reason our female readers choose ebooks.

83. Survey Results 54% say that high prices are their biggest frustration when it comes to buying ebooks.

84. Survey Results Other frustrations include the inability to read purchased books on more than one device.

85. Survey Results Lack of selection is another top frustration.

86. What Readers Said “I can read books my mother had as a child but I can't read books I "bought" a few years ago - get it together and make things consistent.”

87. What Readers Said “Lack of portability between devices stops my purchases.”

88. What Readers Said “I like to read on different formats which means that I should be able to do this ONCE I've purchased the book. I know of only a couple publishers who actually give you more than one format.”

89. What Readers Said “I love ebooks and have since I first started reading them back in 2001. I love being able to get a book any time day or night that I want to and I love it never being out of stock or having to special order it.”

90. What Readers Said “I like multiple formats but what I don't like is not knowing if the one I buy will work on each of my different devices, like my new phone for example.”

91. What Readers Said “Some ebooks are not released on the same days as the paperback or hardcover version. Often times there is little information as to when a book will be released as an ebook.”

92. What Readers Said “I once bought an Adobe PDF format book that would not download to my Palm which has the Adobe PDF Palm reader. How was I supposed to know PDF files differ?”

93. What Readers Said “Bad formatting! Some people don't seem to be checking!”

94. What Readers Said “Full color art. eHarlequin does the best job with covers and inside extras.”

95. What Readers Said “Reading on a computer is hard work but ereaders are pricey.”

96. What Readers Said “Reading on a computer is hard work but ereaders are pricey.”

97. What Readers Said “Definitely lack of selection. More than 50% of what I want to read isn't available digitally.”

98. What Readers Said “Case in point: one of Fictionwise's suppliers has withdrawn their ebooks. While that is fine, most books can be validated on only a few computers, which means, in the future if I get a new computer, I cannot read those books any more.”

99. What Readers Said “When I upgrade my Palm/Mobipocket I can't retain my former PID, and some sites only let you store 3 PIDS. It would be best if customers could change their PIDS at will instead of contacting customer service.”

100. What Readers Said “FONT Size and formatting issues with devices DRIVE me CRAZY!”

101. What Readers Said “I generally give my books away to friends, used book stores, libraries or good will. I am stuck with the thousands of ebooks I have purchased. I can't bear to just delete them!”

102. What Readers Said “DRM!!!!”

103. What Readers Said “DRM! When will media companies figure it out?”

104. What Readers Said “I would like to read some of my.pdf DRM books on my iPhone.”

105. What Readers Said “Lack of back list or other editions in a series. Also DRM is annoying. I don't pirate, but do like to move editions between readers.”

106. What Readers Said “I also like to lend out books I own to friends if I find a new author I'd like to introduce them too. It'd be nice if you could have the option of lending your ebook a number of times, even with DRM.”

107. What Readers Said “DRM, DRM, DRM, DRM, DRM.......”

108. What Readers Said “DRM was a great idea because digital rights do deserve to be protected, but it's too difficult to manage sometimes.”

109. What Readers Said “DRM DRM DRM!!! The only thing it's good for is stopping people from buying ebooks. When I'm unable to read my lawfully purchased ebooks on another device, I'm frustrated enough to think about unlawfully ‘liberating’ them. Don't supply pirates with a justification for what they are doing. Publishers should remove DRM or at least agree on a common format.”

110. What Readers Said “DRM bites. It's becoming harder to read Adobe format on any of my devices. Adobe Reader 7 doesn't work with Vista. Digital Editions doesn't work on my Linux mini laptop. I was actually excited when Overdrive left Fictionwise because I could redownload my DRM Adobe in a better format.”

111. What Readers Said “If looking at an online site I am unfamiliar with, I have to figure out ‘is the format DRM’d?’ I can't always tell, and then I need to figure out what format to purchase, how to convert, and if I change/add devices, will the format be supported.”

112. What Readers Said “If I want to loan a book to a friend, the same way that I would with a print book, I often can't. The issue of DRM and protection that is a problem in sharing music applies to e- books. Once I have actually paid for the item in question I should be able to do what I want with it. People are free to loan physical copies of books they have bought, I should be able to do the same.”

113. What Readers Said “I would like to be able to at least keep the book forever.”

114. What Readers Said “DRM & lack of a single standard format are my biggest frustrations with e.”

115. What Readers Said “With Fictionwise, I am definitely disappointed in the selection and price of the books. Also, I use stanza for my iPhone and I can't read DRM protected books. I get around this by buying HTML format. It would be nice to be able to buy more books directly from the phone. “

116. What Readers Said “Focus of ebook industry/publishers seems to be recreating the print book reading experience on devices, rather than exploiting all the incredible possibilities that the ‘digital’ part of digital books imply.”

117. What Readers Said “I miss the back blurbs so much!!”

118. What Readers Said “Ebooks makes reading a book far more accessible to those who have vision problems, mobility issues, disabilities, and live in more remote areas such as Alaska where I live. It allows me to access classics and other instructional material for use with my children who are home schooled without the added expense of trips to the library or bookstores, and shipping. Keep adding to the catalog of available ebooks!”

119. What Readers Said “There's just too much technical futzing and anxiety in the process as a whole. Reading should be relaxing and easy. I fight with a computer all day at work, and don't want to fight with compatibility issues or any other e-nightmare when it's time to kick back and read.”

120. What Readers Said “The DRM issues are particularly infuriating. I have a MAC and a Sony eReader as well as Windows machines and a Pocket PC. No single format can be read on all those devices. Joy.”

121. What Readers Said “All the different sites I have to go to to figure out the best deal on a book. Is it cheaper at Fictionwise or is it cheaper from the publisher site or from the Sony store?”

122. What Readers Said “I fear for the future of all my ebooks...they're not really mine, are they? Not like a print book is mine to do with what I like...give it away, trade or swap it or just keep it for 20 years to reread sometime!”

123. What Readers Said “I have cut down on e-book reading as I don't have a device and I'm too confused to buy one.”

124. What Readers Said “Explaining to others that, despite the daft format/hardware differences, price/power consumption, ebooks are as good as print books.”

125. What Readers Said “I wish articles would stop saying things like "Will ebooks take over print books"; I think it's ridiculous to think it has to be one over the other, as opposed to just giving people another option (hardcover, paperback, audio, etc). I think it puts those who haven't tried ebooks into a "must save the paperback" frame of mind.”

126. What Readers Said “Amazon's decision to stop selling Adobe PDF and Microsoft version ebooks is a shame. Restricting ebook formats and reader access will only harm the growth of ebooks. I plan to buy a Sony eReader instead of a Kindle because of Amazon's incompatibility.”

127. What Readers Said “I might consider Kindle, even at its price, if it displayed color illustrations!”

128. What Readers Said “If ebook prices were lower, you'd sell more.”

129. What Readers Said “I LOVE that there are so many channels opening up for authors to reach readers. For instance: my brother loves gay erotic science fiction, and there are now publishers who specialize in this. Yeah! It would have been impossible 15 years ago.”

130. What Readers Said “I LOVE that there are so many channels opening up for authors to reach readers. For instance: my brother loves gay erotic science fiction, and there are now publishers who specialize in this. Yeah! It would have been impossible 15 years ago.”

131. What Readers Said “Ebooks will not replace paper books but, instead, open up a wider audience as readers can be reached across country borders and those who cannot physically get to a bookstore. In a unique way, it’s a step towards uniting our world. Wouldn't rock if books were the key?”

132. What Readers Said “Ebooks will not drive out publishing print books. It will only enhance the industry as a whole promoting authors and publishers equally. I have yet to purchase an ebook when I wanted a hard copy of a book. Though I have purchased a hard copy when I would have preferred an ebook that was unavailable.”

133. What Readers Said “I have been reading electronic books for over 10 years, and plan to continue. I am willing to spend money for convenience, readability, and transferability.”

134. What Readers Said “I love ebooks for my pleasure reading. When it comes to text books and secondary sources I need for my academic research, I still prefer the dead-tree version, though.”

135. What Readers Said “The majority of ebook users are women and from all over the world. But availability varies outside the U.S. I'd like to see that change.”

136. What Readers Said “Just -- more titles, please.”

137. What Readers Said “As a teacher, I eagerly await the day when all my text-books will be in one, feather-light device (and the option to add annotations and hyperlinks would be welcome, as well). As a mother, I would love to see my children's schoolbags get lighter, too.”

138. What Readers Said “Publishers should develop an e-book subscription service - or standing order - available for their regular e-book readers.”

139. What Readers Said “I would sooner give up my TV, my cellphone, and (gulp) my coffee maker before anyone could pry the Kindle out of my hands... Now can I get one in red?”

140. What Readers Said “A recent article said that women control the majority of tech and gadget purchases for households…why don’t devices reflect a more, shall we say, feminine aesthetic?”