Survey Looks at Consumers' E-Book Preferences

The Book Industry Study Group (BISG) last week published the results of the first of three surveys that examine when, why, how, and where consumers purchase and use e-books and e-readers.

Input for the first survey, "Consumer Attitudes Toward E-Book Reading Survey," was gathered from hundreds of book buyers -- including teens -- who also identify themselves as e-book readers.

Among the BISG survey's key findings:

• Thirty percent of print book buyers would wait up to three months to purchase the e-book edition of a book by a favorite author.

• The majority of print book buyers rank affordability as the number-one reason they would buy an e-book instead of a print edition. Less important is an e-book's searchability or that it is environmentally friendly.

• About 20 percent of respondents have stopped purchasing print books within the past 12 months in favor of e-book editions.

• Preferred e-reader devices were computers (47 percent) and the Kindle (32 percent), with other e-reader devices each at about 10 percent.

• The majority of respondents prefer to share e-books across devices.

• Only 28 percent would definitely purchase an e-book with Digital Rights Management.

• The majority -- 81 percent of respondents -- currently purchase an e-book only rarely or occasionally; however, e-book sales are rapidly growing.

For more information on the survey findings, which are available for purchase as a summary report and as a complete data compendium accessible online, visit BISG.org.