eBook Format Distribution

Thewitt · Jan 27, 2015

I recently ran a 100 eBook giveaway on LibraryThing, and asked the winners which format book they would prefer.

The numbers were a little surprising to me.

I gave them a choice of Kindle/Mobi, ePub or PDF.

The results were:

Kindle/Mobi 50%
ePub 38%
PDF 11%

A number of readers said they could handle multiple formats, so I gave them the format that was first in their list as their preferred format.

What surprised me? That so many people wanted ePub. I've read that Kindle sales surpass ePub sales for many writers at staggering numbers. One author said 100 to 1 Kindle vs ePub sales and that he was going to drop everyone but Amazon.

Just thought I would share this one data point. Take it for what it's worth.

girlyswot · Jan 28, 2015

If your winners were an international group, that's not surprising at all. Kindle doesn't dominate in most of the world. Also, with the increase of tablets rather than dedicated ereaders, people have the flexibility to use multiple file types on their devices.

BenPanced · Jan 28, 2015

Hey, thanks for that information, Kristijan90m, but I have to watch my intake of canned meat products.

WriterBN · Jan 28, 2015

ePub is also more "portable" than .mobi, in that it can be read by a variety of apps.

Laer Carroll · Feb 3, 2015

So can .mobi be read on any device. I routinely read it on my mini iPad and Samsung Android tablet, and Amazon has apps for most of the popular devices.

girlyswot · Feb 4, 2015

Mobis are only read by one ereading device, however. Epubs can be read by Sony, Nook, Kobo etc.

Arpeggio · Feb 4, 2015

Amazon can't be more than about 20% of my eBook sales. Please tell us how the LibraryThing giveaway went if you like, I take it that's to encourage reviews?

Thewitt · Feb 4, 2015

Arpeggio said:
Amazon can't be more than about 20% of my eBook sales. Please tell us how the LibraryThing giveaway went if you like, I take it that's to encourage reviews?

I offered up 100 eBooks on LibraryThing.

I sent out an email to the winners, listing them in the BCC field in my email client. Less than 10 replied with the format they preferred.

I sent a second email to the people who did not reply to the first email, using a mailing list that individually sends each email so their address shows up in the TO field. Roughly 50 people responded.

I sent individual emails from my mail client to the remaining winners, and 10 more people replied.

I posted PM messages to the rest of the winners at LibraryThing... then I was finished trying to contact the winners...

A total of 82 winners replied with the format they wish.

Why 100 people signed up for a free eBook and only 82 of them followed up after LibraryThing informed them they won is something I don't understand, but it is what it is.

I sent out 41 Mobi format, 32 in ePub, 9 as PDF.

The users were requested to provide reviews, however it is certainly not required.

So far, no reviews have been posted from any of the winners as far as I can tell.

At the same time I did this 100 eBook giveaway, I did a 10 Print book giveaway on Goodreads. No reviews have been posted from that giveaway either.

Whimsical Writing · Feb 4, 2015

Arpeggio, you have me curious. May I ask what other sales channels you use, that Amazon is only about 20% of your sales? I'm floored by this, since Amazon is just about 95% of my sales (no hard calculations, but I only sell a book here or there on Smashwords [and their channels] and All Romance eBooks). Without Amazon, I'd be seeing very few sales a month.

Laer Carroll · Feb 4, 2015

girlyswot said:
Mobis are only read by one ereading device, however. Epubs can be read by Sony, Nook, Kobo etc.

Erh, wrong. They can be read on ANY device which has a Kindle reading app. And Amazon has ensured that is almost every device currently available.

Samsonet · Feb 4, 2015

How do you get mobi files on your kindle? I've tried to download things but only PDF files work with it.

Thewitt · Feb 4, 2015

Samsonet said:
How do you get mobi files on your kindle? I've tried to download things but only PDF files work with it.

The two ways that I suggest are:

USB Cable: Plug in your Kindle to your computer. Your Kindle will look like another disk drive. Copy the file to the Kindle "documents" folder. Dismount the Kindle and unplug it.

Kindle Email: Amazon support pages have all the details on how to email your .mobi file to your Kindle device. They give you a special email address, and you authorize a sending email account.

girlyswot · Feb 5, 2015

No, you can't get kindle apps for other ereaders. Tablets and phones and laptops, sure. But you can't read a kindle file on a Nook or a Sony or a Kobo ereader without stripping the DRM and converting it. Just as you can't read an epub on a Kindle.

Arpeggio · Feb 6, 2015

Whimsical Writing said:
Arpeggio, you have me curious. May I ask what other sales channels you use, that Amazon is only about 20% of your sales? I'm floored by this, since Amazon is just about 95% of my sales (no hard calculations, but I only sell a book here or there on Smashwords [and their channels] and All Romance eBooks). Without Amazon, I'd be seeing very few sales a month.

Google Play, Scribd, Barnes & Noble, iTunes, Kobo, on my own website (some sales on retailers are due to having seen on my website then them going where they like to buy but I can’t track that).

Sometimes I sell more print through LS/Ingram than I do on CS/Amazon (No EDC)

Arpeggio · Feb 6, 2015

Thewitt said:
I sent a second email to the people who did not reply to the first email, using a mailing list that individually sends each email so their address shows up in the TO field. Roughly 50 people responded.

Sorry, what's the TO field?

Thewitt said:
Why 100 people signed up for a free eBook and only 82 of them followed up after LibraryThing informed them they won is something I don't understand, but it is what it is.

82/100 not bad but it sounds like you had some work to do to get them after the initial email. I'd be inclined to think that perhaps no more than those who respond upon the 2nd email would be serious enough to spend the time to review.

Thewitt said:
The users were requested to provide reviews, however it is certainly not required.

So far, no reviews have been posted from any of the winners as far as I can tell.

At the same time I did this 100 eBook giveaway, I did a 10 Print book giveaway on Goodreads. No reviews have been posted from that giveaway either.

LibraryThing seems recent so it could be early days yet. How long ago for GR? I see loads of these places on the internet like Freado and Story Cartel. If the demand is there then who are they not to accept our money? (at a reasonable fee). Money well spent on StoryCartel when I used it in the past.

I’m interested in using this LibraryThing thing too and contacted them a few days ago via email but haven’t heard back. How did you go about it?

eBook Format Distribution

Thewitt

girlyswot

BenPanced

THE BLUEBERRY QUEEN OF HADES (he/him)

WriterBN

Laer Carroll

Aerospace engineer turned writer

girlyswot

Arpeggio

Thewitt

Whimsical Writing

Finally, I self-pubbed!

Laer Carroll

Aerospace engineer turned writer

Samsonet

Just visiting

Thewitt

girlyswot

Arpeggio

Arpeggio