Kindle & Smashwords Surveys

Recently released Kindle & Smashwords surveys provide overviews about the performance of their best-selling books and authors. These Kindle & Smashwords surveys have resulted in reports, detailing the performance of their top-selling authors, ideal price and length of books, and tips for marketing eBooks.

Kindle & Smashwords surveys
Kindle & Smashwords Surveys provide book marketing insights.

Kindle’s commissioned survey, conducted by Sellbox, provides insights into the self-publishing industry, & ebook marketing best practices. Key findings include:

  • Indie authors invest more in the producing their books than marketing their books.
  • Most indie authors don’t know the best way to promote their book and mainly use their blogs and Facebook for promotion.
  • Amazon still dominates the self-publishing industry.
  • Self-publishing markets still remain in their infancy.

The associated report contains insights into marketing, some statistics about how and where authors self-publish, and a few hints about marketing books. I hope this information is helpful.

Smashwords have done a similar survey which can be found here. This survey gives interesting insights into:

  • the size of the most popular books
  • the best way to promote a series
  • optimum pricing
  • effect of free books
  • pre-orders and effectiveness for marketing books

The Smashwords slideshow resulting from their survey is embedded here for you to view.

Although the information is broad, as averages tend to be, perhaps the Kindle & Smashwords surveys can help you to decide how to market, price and sell your books!