While looking for information on how people decide what books to buy, I found a helpful PowerPoint presentation from Bowker that summarizes research from the first quarter of 2011.<\/p>\n

The information presented probably hasn’t changed dramatically since then (with the exception being the growth of e-books, but even with older research, you can see the trends), so I’m sharing a few highlights from the research here and including the presentation, too, so that you can review the slides for more information.<\/p>\n

The Bowker research studied:<\/p>\n

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• Who buys books<\/li>\n
• Categories and formats they buy (the information shared\u00a0is skewed toward fiction — the categories are all fiction, graphic novels, mystery, romance, biography, cooking)<\/li>\n
• Where they buy books<\/li>\n
• Why they buy them<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

  Here are a few facts that stood out for me and might help you.<\/p>\n

  Who buys books?<\/h3>\n

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  • Of the categories reported on (all fiction, graphic novels, mystery, romance, biography, cooking), women buy most books except graphic novels (men buy two-thirds of them).<\/li>\n
  • Men buy almost half of all biographies.<\/li>\n
  • The two strongest categories for men in this research are graphic novels and biographies.<\/li>\n
  • 18-29 year olds buy the most books, but those 30-44 are right behind them.<\/li>\n
  • The people with the most money bought the least amount of books.<\/li>\n
  • Those in the mid-income range of the study, $54,000-$74,900 in annual income, bought the most books.<\/li>\n
  • When combining age ranges, those 13-17, 18-29, and 30-44 buy more books collectively than those 45-54, 55-64, and 65+.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

    Categories and format they buy<\/h3>\n

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    • Those ages 18-29 buy 60 percent of the graphic novels.<\/li>\n
    • People 65+ buy the least number of books,\u00a0favor mysteries, and don’t buy graphic novels ( that part is a big surprise, eh?).<\/li>\n
    • Trade paperback is the most popular format for graphic novels.<\/li>\n
    • Hardcover is the favored format for biography and cooking books.<\/li>\n
    • The most popular choice for mysteries and romance novels is mass market paperback.<\/li>\n
    • All categories cited were seeing an upward trend in e-book purchasing except graphic novels.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

      Where do they buy books?<\/h3>\n

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      • The information shared only addresses mystery books — those buyers purchase online and at large chains.<\/li>\n
      • Mystery buyers with the highest income buy at Amazon while those with the lowest buy at Walmart.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

        Why they buy them<\/h3>\n

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        • Mystery and romance lovers are influenced the most by the author.<\/li>\n
        • Biography and cooking readers say they buy because they like the topic or subject.<\/li>\n
        • Graphic novel purchasers like the series.<\/li>\n
        • Those buying graphic novels, mysteries, and romance novels cite “other awareness” for how they learn about the books they purchase over options ranging from a friend’s recommendation to reviews.<\/li>\n
        • Biography buyers learn about books through recommendations.<\/li>\n
        • Cooking category buyers discover books through in-store displays.<\/li>\n
        • Those buying cooking books are the most impulsive with their purchases; those purchasing graphic novels are the least impulsive.<\/li>\n
        • Mystery and romance readers\u00a0plan to buy at a specific time, but\u00a0don’t have a specific book in mind.<\/li>\n
        • Graphic novel and biography buyers purchase a specific book at a specific time — it’s all planned and not impulsive.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

          Here’s the file<\/h3>\n

          Interested in learning more? Here’s the file. My thanks for the folks at Bowker for sharing this on SlideShare.<\/p>\n

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          Bowker Market Research: The Magic and Mystery of Book Consumer Research<\/a><\/strong>