Data Crunch: Books and Their Competition for Leisure Time Attention - How do They Stack Up? Curl with a good book lately? Competing for the time and attention of today's consumer is an ever increasing challenge in a world gone mad with ever increasing audio, video, gaming and gadget options. This session provides insights on consumer media use and book reading and purchase trends from the recently published 2008 Bowker Consumer and Book Production Annual. Presenter: James Howitt - Publisher Services, Bowker

1. May, 2009

2. Survey
Type: Online
Length: Between 60-75 questions
Frequency: Monthly
Annual Consumer Sample
o 36,000 book buyers
o Selected according to Age, Gender, Income,
Household size, and location balanced to US Census
o Representing an annual view of 120,000 book
purchases and 80,000 shopping occasions

3. MarketTools, Inc:
◦ Panel management & data collection
◦ Clients include: P&G, Microsoft, Bank of America
Management Science Associates, Inc (MSA):
◦ Data Processing & Software provider (INsightTM)
◦ Statistical Validation, Analysis, and Weighting
◦ Clients include: ESPN, Kraft, Time-Warner
Bowker Bibliographic & Database Expertise
◦ Bibliographic and Classification Data Match
◦ Business Analysts

4. PubTrack Consumer Panel US Census
Male 49.5 48.5
Female 50.5 51.5
13 - 17 8.2 8.5
18 - 29 18.4 20.1
30 - 44 29.3 25.1
45 - 54 17.3 17.9
55 - 64 12.8 13.5
65+ 14.0 14.9
South 35.9 36.4
Northeast 19.1 18.5
Midwest 23.8 22.0
West 21.1 23.0

5. 

If you haven’t guessed it’s

all about the


Consumer….and not Point of Sale Data

5

6. 50% of Americans aged
over 13 purchased a book
in 2008….down from 62% in
2007
6

7. 4.1
Watching Movies on DVD
4.6
4.6
Reading Newspapers/Magazines
4.1
2008
5.2
Reading Books
5.5
2007
5.9
Listen to Music on CD/Ipod
6.3
13.1
Watching TV
14.4
15.3
Online
15.1
0 2 4 6 8 10 12 14 16
7

8. 19
Occasional Reader (1 book per year)
7
22 2008
Regular Readers (2-6 books per year)
23 2007
59
Avid Reader (12+ books per year)
70
0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70
8

9. 10

10. 70% 65%
57%
60%
49% 51%
50% 43%
40% 35% Male
Female
30%
20%
10%
0%
Population Book Buyers Books Purchased
11

11. 40%
35%
33% 33% 32%
35%
30%
25%
25%
21% 20% 21%
Population
20% 17%
16% Book Buyers
14%
15% Books Purchased
10%
9% 8%
10%
5%
5%
0%
Generation Next Generation Y Generation X Baby Boomers Matures (born
(born after 1990) (born 1979-1989) (born 1967-1978) (born 1948-1966) before 1948)
12

12. 45%
41% 41%
40% 38% 37%
36% 36%
35%
30%
Population
25%
Book Buyers
20%
Books Purchased
14%
15% 12% 13%
11%11%
10%
10%
5%
0%
Less than $35,000 $35,000 - $74,999 $75,000 - $99,999 $100,000+
13

13. 100%
75%
59% 54%
71% 77% 71%
93% Female
50%
Male
25%
41% 46%
29% 23% 29%
7%
0%
14

14. 45% 42%
39% 39%
40%
35%
29%
30% 27% 25%
Population
25%
19% 19% Buyers
17% 17%
20%
15% Books Purchased
15%
13%
10%
5%
0%
13-29 Yrs 30-54 Yrs 55-64 Yrs 65+ Yrs
15

15. Share
15% Fiction - Romance
Fiction - Mystery/Detective
12%
Juvenile - Picture / Story
59% Juvenile - Young Adult
Religion
5%
Other
4%
4%
16

16. Share
28%
36%
Fiction - Mystery/Detective
Fiction - Romance
Fiction - Espionage/Thriller
Fiction - General
23% Religion
6% Other
3%
4%
17

17. Discount/Closeout Stores
100% Warehouse Clubs
90%
8% 8% Toy Stores
80% 6% Mass Merchandisers
Supermarket/Grocery Stores
70% 9%
Drug Stores
60% 21%
Other/Independent Bookstores
50%
12%
Religious Book Stores
40% Large Chain Bookstores
30% 23% 11% All Other Direct to Consumer
E-Commerce/Internet
20%
15% Book Fairs
10% 9%
Book Clubs
0%
30-54 Yrs 65+ Yrs
18

18. 6%
Online: author's personal website 4%
6%
Online: book review 5%
11%
Direct mail/catalog Romance
7%
7%
Recommendation from a friend/relative 8% Mystery/Detective
3%
Best seller list 9%
7%
Advertisement 11%
51%
Store display/on shelf/spinning rack 45%
0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60%
19

19. 28%
Received email from retailer/publisher
22%
49%
Online/Internet ad
57%
4% Romance
TV/Radio ad
5% Mystery/Detective
8%
Newspaper ad
6%
10%
Magazine ad
10%
0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60%
20

20. 44%
Males
56%
Females
21

21. 6% 11%
8%
13-17 Yrs
15% 18-29 Yrs
29%
30-44 Yrs
45-54 Yrs
55-64 Yrs
32%
65+ Yrs
22

22. Fiction readers are active Social Networkers
100%
80% 49%
56% 57%
70% 74%
60%
40%
51%
44% 43%
20% 30% 26%
0%
All Books Fantasy Romance Espionage/Thriller Mystery Detective
Daily/Weekly Rarely/Never

23. 47% of women book buyers are on
Facebook; 9% are on Twitter
Genre readers most likely to be on social
networks: Romance readers (51%) and
Family Issues readers (57%)
15% of Stephanie Meyer readers now
follow her on Twitter; 27% intend to!
24

24. Matures are leading the way in adopting the Kindle… Middle-aged for
iPhone as preferred e-Book readers
70%
60%
50% 18-34
40%
35-49
30%
20%
50-64
10%
0%

25. While < 1.5% of total trade market, e-Books grew by 125% in 08—183% by Seniors
174% 183%
200%
180%
160% 125%
140% 104%
120% 80%
100%
80%
60%
40%
20%
0%
Total All Ages 13-29 Yrs 30-54 Yrs 55-64 Yrs Seniors 65+ Yrs

26. 70
64
59 60
60 56 54
53 51 52
50 45
40
35
30
20
10
0
James Alex Cross Women's John Stephen Dean Stephanie Patricia David Sue
Patterson Murder Grisham King Koontz Meyer Cornwell Baldacci Grafton
Books Club

27. 50% 46%
45% 40% 39%
40%
34%
35%
29%
30%
25%
20%
15%
10%
5%
0%
Plot Twists Exciting Thrills Couldn't Put it down Great Pacing
28

28. 70%
61% 59%
60%
55%
50%
40%
40% 32%
30%
20%
10%
0%
Romantic Couldn't put it down Exciting Can Relate to Sexy
Characters
29

29.  Reading is down as other activities compete for
reader’s attention (like time spent on the internet)
 Understanding how our consumers engage in
these other activities provide opportunities for
publishers to promote/advertise their
authors/products successfully
 We have to look at each of our consumer
segments closely as only they can tell us how they
like to engage with our products, Consumer
allows you to collect this feedback; Point of Sale
data cannot
30

30. Bowker Booth: 3505
Twitter: @BookBuyrInsight
www.bookconsumer.com
James Howitt
Director of Publisher Services
James.Howitt@bowker.com
908.219.0081