Which genres really do well as ebooks? In the past, erotica and all its sub-genres sold best in digital format. With thousands of readily available titles available instantly and discreetly, ebooks are the format of choice for readers who want something a bit more stimulating than your average romance.
Today, however, the market is changing. Just as ebook sales number are skyrocketing, so is the selection. And the number of readers gobbling up these titles? In 2009, 3 million dedicated reading devices sold in the US. In 2010, 6 million more are expected to sell. Add to the previous number, and we’ve got over 10 million serious-about-ebook readers out there.
USA Today now includes Kindle ebook sales in its bestseller calculations—as they should. You’ve probably already heard, but Amazon sold more ebooks on Christmas day than “physical” books. Kindle is a big player in the market. But what types of books sell well on Kindle?
Look at it this way: Kindle users are bestseller-buyers. They’re the avid readers who tend to buy books and seldom borrow them from libraries. They like Kindle because it’s convenient, techy, and let’s face it: Buying a bestseller for $9.99 in Kindle format beats the heck out of paying newsstand price for a new hard-bound copy. Good deals on hot titles help justify the cost of the reader.
If you’re writing romance and worry it “just doesn’t sell” in ebook format, think again. Of Amazon’s 100 Kindle Bestsellers for 2009, 32 were romance. Contemporary romance—easily grabbed in a grocery store line or big box store. Romance fans aren’t just buying ebooks, though. They’re borrowing them from their libraries. Sony’s compatibility with Overdrive (one prime source libraries use for their ebook stock) means their Reader line is perfect for library patrons. On Overdrive’s most-downloaded adult fiction for 2009 list, Numbers 2-5 were Lisa Kleypas titles. Yep. Mainstream romance. Romance readers love ebooks, because no matter where they are, they can power up their reading device discreetly, without any Nosey-Nells scowling at the steamy cover. None of those condescending literary rolled-eyes, either.
Sci-fi writers, take note. Ebooks sales for your genre were slow for a while, but they’ve accelerated. And why shouldn’t they, when you consider how many Trekkies are also Techies? The two go hand in hand!
Curious what title holds the most-downloaded spot for Overdrive, 2009? Dan Brown’s The Lost Symbol. Is it mainstream fiction? Action/adventure? You decide. Either way, it sure isn’t erotica.
Fictionwise’s top sellers include Brown, too, as well as Stephen King’s Under the Dome. Romance, sci-fi, erotica, action, horror… all the genres co-existing happily in one big store. Just like a brick and mortar (although I will confess, ebooks just don’t have that booky “smell” while you’re browsing).
If you write mystery, consider this. Mystery readers are right up there with romance readers for their voracious habits. Hardly anyone “consumes” as many titles as these readers. Why wouldn’t they turn to electronic formats, where they can download many volumes at a time and carry them all around in mere ounces? No more trips anywhere needed to load up with books (or return them).
I predict YA will see huge growth in ebook sales in the near future, as more colleges and high schools begin integrating electronic reading devices for text book usage (the pioneers are out there; it’s only a matter of time until more schools are using them than not). When this becomes mainstream, kids will view paper books along the same lines as they do those “giant” cell phones we used 10 and 15 years ago—as relics.
Have I left anyone out? Maybe literary fiction. Well… let me just say this. Since many literary titles are “off the beaten path,” I strongly suspect those authors have already had many of the big doors slammed in their faces. Literary authors were some of the first to explore self-publishing in an effort to have their voices heard, so they probably aren’t afraid of trying ebooks, either.
Bottom line: e-publishing is right for every genre.
Does this mean you have to choose between print and ebook? Absolutely not. Many e-publishers also have a print program, just as traditional publishers now send their titles out in digital format. Given the tiny budgets larger publishers are allotting to promotion for new authors, it makes sense to shop around for the publisher that fits best with your genre. And it might make more sense to give your career some forward momentum with a small publisher, than to hang around and wait for that “lucky break” with one of the bigs.

Piper Denna
Romance is sexy!
www.piperdenna.com

piperpatter.blogspot.com/

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