How we Buy Business Books Today

Jan 30, 2012 | Profit

This is not rocket science. It’s not even science. It’s more like what the naturalists did during the Victorian Era, wandering around making observations and gathering specimens.

I’ve been asking business book buyers how they buy their business books these days. Here’s what I’ve observed.

Blogs start the process for many people, especially blogs like LeadershipNow who post about business books regularly. I reviewed LeadershipNow a couple of weeks ago. Author guest posts on other blogs and an author’s appearance on a podcast such as AMA Edgewise or HBR Ideacast are also interest triggers.

No matter where they buy the book, almost everyone I spoke with goes to Amazon to check out the reviews. Most prized are the reviews that both summarize the book and offer thoughtful opinions.

The vast majority of business book readers I spoke with are reading business books on an electronic device. For books, Kindle seems to have the most readers, followed by Nook. The iPad is in the mix, but many readers seem to prefer Kindle or Nook for books, even if they read almost everything else on an iPad.

Bottom Line

If what I’ve observed is accurate it means that

  • You should include reviews on key blogs, guest posts, and podcast appearances in your publicity plan.
  • You should make Amazon a focal point of your promotion with the “Look Inside the Book” feature and Kindle editions as part of your strategy.
  • You should encourage quality Amazon reviews.
  • You should have electronic versions of your book available wherever you can.

What are your experience and observations? Do they match mine? Or have you observed something else?