Lulu.com: E-Books and Print Sales Drive One Another

Published on Thursday, 19 April 2012 14:43 Written by TradersHuddle Staff

RALEIGH, N.C., April 19, 2012 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- When it comes to books, there is a debate over which format is more popular – e-books or print editions. What many people fail to identify is the connection between the two, as the two formats tend to influence each other. According to self-publishing company Lulu.com, the number of print titles they produced for 2011 was around 50,000, which was a 9 percent increase over the prior year. Over 115,000 new e-book titles were released during the same period, which is a 22 percent increase over the prior year. However, print books accounted for 68 percent of all book sales.

"There is certainly a wonderful increase in the production and sale of e-books," explains Sarah Gilbert, director of sales at Lulu.com (www.lulu.com), a self-publishing company. "But that doesn't mean that people have done away with print books. Not by a long shot."

What Lulu.com has found is that each of the two types of formatting tends to help fuel the sale of the other. Those authors who publish their book in both print and e-book format tend to sell double the amount of books, because it is available in the format that the reader prefers. While someone may read an e-book and recommend it to someone else, that person may go on to buy a print version of the book, or vice versa.

Lulu.com has found that many authors offer free e-book previews of their printed work, which helps to drive the sale of print editions. Many authors did this throughout the holidays last year, and while e-book sales doubled the day after Christmas, a few days later print sales tripled.

Authors who are planning to self-publish their work will want to consider making it available in multiple formats. The more formats the work is available in, such as e-book and print, the more opportunity there is for gaining sales. Many people are opting for books they can read on their electronic reading devices, yet there are many others who still prefer holding a physical book in their hands.

"We have found that some people who have e-readers still buy print books," adds Gilbert. "When it comes to books, there is no telling what people will prefer, so it is best to offer both print and electronic options. Each tends to fuel the sales of the other, so you are covered at both ends."

Lulu.com provides complete publishing solutions to authors and businesses. They are the #1 source of independent content on the iBookstore(SM) and Nook Bookstore, with 60,000+ titles currently available in these channels. Authors have the ability to publish their books, of any genre, using their simple online tools. Lulu.com's self-publishing service is provided free, and authors retain all rights, as well as up to 90 percent of all profit from sales. To learn more about using Lulu's publishing tools, log onto www.lulu.com.

About Lulu

Lulu.com, founded in 2002, is a one-stop shop where, with a few clicks of a button, anyone can publish anything in a book for free and sell it to customers all over the world. Lulu has helped over 1 million creators publish in over 200 countries and territories. Creators set their own price and keep full creative and copyright control over their works.  With over 1.2 million titles in their catalogue, Lulu is the clear leader in self-publishing solutions.  To learn more visit www.lulu.com.

Source:

Lulu. Number one in e-books. < http://www.lulu.com/blog/2012/02/lulu-number-1-ebooks/>

Lulu.com Print is dead. <http://www.lulu.com/blog/2012/04/>

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AJ McDonald

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