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Book Discoverability & Sales Trends Autumn 2024PART 5
Supadu insights and trends collected from our customer data and the wider ebook publishing industryThe landscape of book publishing is constantly evolving; driven by technology, reader preferences and social media. It is essential that publishers take both the current and the emerging industry trends on board, to ensure broader access to their books. By staying up to date with the latest developments, embracing new opportunities, as well as using readily available digital tools to engage readers directly, publishers can simply make small changes to make fruitful gains and workflow improvements. We’ve broken our report into five easy to read parts.2Genre Specific MarketingCart Abandonment Social Media MattersFrontlist vs Backlist TitlesMultiple Formats, Keywords & Metadata0102030405
PART 5Multiple Formats, Keywords & Metadata
Do different title formats matter?Offering your title in different formats is crucial for maximizing accessibility, market reach and reader satisfaction. Print, ebooks and audiobooks cater to a diverse range of reader preferences and learning styles through making content accessible to those with different abilities.For example audiobooks are convenient for multitaskers and commuters whereas e-books offer portability and interactive features.Different formats ensure flexibility so readers can choose the format that suits their needs best.SOURCE: Mills & Boon Australia4
Audio format on the riseAudiobooks are becoming increasingly popular. They began as a relatively small market but in recent years sales have grown massively. This is because of the appeal to people of all ages.At one end, audiobooks capture the attention of busy individuals who turn to literature as a way to escape daily life and at the other end, we have young children who listen to audiobooks as an alternative to watching television.Audiobooks enhance accessibility to literature, providing an opportunity for those who cannot typically read physical books or ebooks to enjoy literature effortlessly. The addition of audiobooks to Premium subscriptions on platforms like Spotify further increases convenience, giving consumers easier access to content.Audiobook SalesAccording to a survey conducted by Statista in 2023, audiobook unit sales have increased by 20 million in under 10 years!KEY TRENDS5
Audiobooks have landed on SpotifyAccording to Nielsen, Spotify has 239 million premium users as of Q1 of 2024.Spotify has stated that 18-34 year olds account for 57% of audiobook listeners and overall has released that 25% of premium users have engaged with audiobooksSpotify conducted a survey in 2023 to understand how users in the US interacted with audiobooks. From this survey we can see that 72% of audiobook listeners are under the age of 40 which gives a good indication of the genes that are being listened to.KEY TRENDS KEY TRENDS6
Read more on this partnershipSpotify brings audiobooks of independent publishers to the subscribers of Spotify PremiumThrough a partnership with Ingram Content Group, a leader in audiobook distribution, Spotify will now be able to bring the audiobooks of independent publishers to millions of premium spotify users.7
Publisher websites fully integrated with ePub fulfilmentChoose an international digital eCommerce fulfilment solution, that focuses on increasing title visibility and audience growth. Minimum website feature requirements:● Automated & metadata-driven● Responsive & accessible ● Multi-language● Multi-currency● Home, product detailsProven to increase discoverability & title visibilityCASE STUDY8
KeywordsIncrease traffic from organic searchKeywords are crucial for a books discoverability. They enable online searches on platforms like Amazon and Google to produce relevant results, helping potential readers find books that match their interests. Keywords help with cataloging and indexing in bookstores, making it easier for users to locate books. There are numerous ways to choose good keywords for your books. See belowAdditionally, keywords play a vital role in marketing by targeting the right audience and improving a book's ranking in search engine results through SEO, thereby increasing visibility and sales.Keywords are an excellent way to gain quick wins.You want to choose words your users are already actively searching -- here are popular search terms for Nintendo SwitchKEY TRENDSSOURCE: How to choose keywords for Amazon KDPSOURCE: Why keywords matter in 20249
The importance of an accurate book descriptionCreating a description for your book is important but making this description accurate is essential to improve discoverability on platforms like Amazon and other large online retailers. Your book description should include a headline, explanation (no spoilers), key words, formatting, author credentials, testimonials/ endorsements and a cliffhanger.Potential readers will look at a description as one of the main selling points of your book. Condensing 500 pages of writing into a paragraph can be difficult but the description is usually what drives a customer to click that purchase button!KEY TRENDSWriting for the Amazon algorithm is still essential and the eCommerce giant still dominates books sales across the globe. Statistica charts below noted that 71% of readers saying they had bought a book from Amazon in the past 12 months (US) with 68% of book buyers (UK) followed by Italy with 66% and Germany 62%.SOURCES: Secrets to writing a book description that sells https://wordsrated.com/amazon-print-book-sales-statistics/https://kdp.amazon.com/en_US/help/topic/G201189630https://anyword.com/product-description-generator/10
Product details pages The more metadata you include on your details page the better! You want potential readers to be drawn in by your book cover, information about the author and an intricate but brief description.Displaying all of this on a well functioning page helps discoverability and all round user experience.Supadu has new website themes for both Shopify and Wordpress, with dynamically fed live product information powered by our Supafolio API, which allows you to display and enrich your metadata effectively and easily.11
Websites, eCommerce and creative digital marketing solutions for trade & academic publishers, and university pressesContact sarah.arbuthnot@supadu.com for more info