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Saturday, April 12, 2014

Kindles, Kobos, and Nooks - Oh My!

There are so many e-reader choices today, from dedicated e-readers to tablets. As an author, you want as many people to find your books as possible.


Amazon led the way with the Kindle. While no one knows how many Kindles or Kindle Fires have actually sold, Amazon still ranks number one in e-books sold.

Barnes & Noble’s Nook sales are also a mystery. While sales have waned in the past year, the Nook Tablet continues to be their best seller.

The Kobo also sells well, especially in Canada, and boasts many varieties, including a tablet.


Speaking of tablets, as of November 2013, 35% of the population owns tablets.

The Apple iPad (and iPad Mini and iPad Air) lead the way with over 170 million units sold.

What does this mean for an author? Obviously, you want your books available as e-books, but you also want them available on as many platforms as possible.

Keep those numbers in mind next time you intend to upload a book Don’t limit your options!

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27 comments:

  1. Philip Verghese 'Ariel'April 12, 2014 at 7:01 AM

    Hi Diane,
    Yet another interesting post.
    OH MY... Different Ks
    Indeed an informative one
    Thanks for lighting up our minds.
    ~ Philip

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  2. Hilary Melton-ButcherApril 12, 2014 at 7:16 AM

    Hi Diane .. we have to format our books for every possible option - so right .. we cannot limit our potential sales ..

    Cheers Hilary

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  3. Frankie MillerApril 12, 2014 at 7:42 AM

    I haven't a clue how to convert Kindle into Kobo or Nook. There's so much to learn, and necessary. Help ...

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  4. stuApril 12, 2014 at 7:55 AM

    Amazon in particular seems to want to push authors into exclusivity in a way that isn't always helpful.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Michelle WallaceApril 12, 2014 at 8:36 AM

    I have no idea about Nook/Kobo... are they formatting techniques? Types of e-readers? Tablets?

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  6. LittleCelyApril 12, 2014 at 8:45 AM

    Although I love the feel of a book in my hands I respect the e-reader options. It really is important to keep them in mind.

    LittleCely from LittleCely's Blog

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  7. Chrys FeyApril 12, 2014 at 9:25 AM

    Formatting our books for each of these is important not just for more sales, but more readers.

    The funny things is, my books are ebooks, but I don't even own a Kindle. :P

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  8. Tyrean MartinsonApril 12, 2014 at 9:50 AM

    I agree with Chrys - more sales and more readers!
    Great tips, Diane!

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  9. Alex J. CavanaughApril 12, 2014 at 10:07 AM

    I'm glad my books are available everywhere!

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  10. J.L. CampbellApril 12, 2014 at 10:46 AM

    A good reminder, Diane. I need to spend some time on making sure my books are on as many platforms as possible. I'm a bit tardy where that is concerned.

    I own a Kindle fire because it's a lot cheaper buying books online than in bookshops here. More and more people are going the route of tablets.

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  11. cleemckenzieApril 12, 2014 at 10:48 AM

    Absolutely correct. Can't have books unavailable!

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  12. Door2LoreApril 12, 2014 at 11:01 AM

    Great pointers Diane - thank you!

    Sue Kuentz
    http://www.door2lore.com/3/post/2014/04/kamishibai-storytelling.html

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  13. Pat HattApril 12, 2014 at 11:11 AM

    The more places they are the more you can be seen indeed

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  14. AnonymousApril 12, 2014 at 12:43 PM

    All these devices are great for getting books into the hands of readers, but as the wife of a computer nerd, sometimes less would be nice. There's a few devices lying around my apartment because hubby got the chance to play with one and decided he wanted it! lol

    ~Patricia Lynne~
    Story Dam
    Patricia Lynne, YA Author

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  15. UnknownApril 12, 2014 at 1:57 PM

    Wow, great post each time I stop by.

    Another home work for me, go and re-upload my book to these others or maybe see what I could do to get them also marketed in their e-book platforms? Ah poor Mary Just Come like me? Am surely the best ISW i here!

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  16. BirgitApril 12, 2014 at 5:42 PM

    I still love to just open up a real book and don't own any Kindle or anything else...but books:)

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  17. JodieApril 12, 2014 at 7:43 PM

    I'm just writing a book proposal now and don't really know how to find sales numbers - any tips? Great blog post btw. Jodie

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  18. Shonell BaconApril 12, 2014 at 7:45 PM

    Good info, and important for authors to know.

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  19. Michael Di GesuApril 13, 2014 at 12:52 AM

    That;s great advice! An author must have all sources available to attract EVERY type of reader and their reading devices...

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  20. Miss AndiApril 13, 2014 at 11:55 AM

    It took me a long while to warm up to the thought of digital books but since I bought my Kindle, I don't regret it. I can take my whole library ANYWHERE and as I travel quite a lot, it's extremely helpful. I still like the feel and the smell of the paperback but I'm fully converted! So yes, if a book is not available in the Kindle format, it's likely I won't read it.
    Thanks for the post!

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  21. Murees DupèApril 13, 2014 at 1:28 PM

    This is great info. Thank you.

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  22. NasApril 13, 2014 at 4:38 PM

    I'm on a learning curve at the moment with formatting all types.

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  23. G. B. MillerApril 13, 2014 at 6:44 PM


    The one self-published e-book that I have so far is through Smashwords, so it's available on all formats/readers say Kobo. I pulled it from Kobo when they were going through their sanctimonious purge of erotica titles last year.

    A-Z Challenge at Father Nature's Corner

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  24. Ida ThoughtApril 14, 2014 at 5:57 AM

    One of the hardest things about moving overseas was parting with my all to heavy book collection... Kindle had made relocating my books a non-issue - love that

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  25. LisaApril 15, 2014 at 8:03 AM

    Yes! So important. Won't go anywhere these days without those platforms...

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  26. Joylene Nowell ButlerApril 16, 2014 at 1:15 PM

    There's nothing like holding a book, but one still has to live in this electronic society, so I'm actually debating whether to buy an iPad or a Kindle. I have a relic of an ereader in the Kobo version. Technology changes way too fast for this old girl. My ereader is only 4 years old.

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  27. BevimusApril 18, 2014 at 11:54 AM

    My mantra is 'you can pry my paperback from my cold, dead hands' but should I ever get published I'll want to be on as many reading devices as exist at that point.

    ReplyDelete