Quote:
Originally Posted by MattW
KU and Overdrive don't really compete with regular "sales", they compete with libraries or used-book-sales, so whether or not they have any impact on ebook sales deosn't really matter for the sake of comparing pure sales figures.
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I primarily read books from the big publishers. The ability to borrow ebooks takes away from the purchase of ebooks for me. If Overdrive was not an option, then I would buy the ebooks that I wanted to read regardless of the price. My choices are driven by a desire to save money rather than budget limitations.
I used to spend more than $500 on ebooks each year. The high price of ebooks due to agency pricing is what drove me to look actively for other sources. The number of books available through Overdrive has significantly expanded over the years. The ease of borrowing and getting the ebook on your reading device has also improved.
Now I only buy an ebook if it is not available to me via Overdrive or subscription services. If I cannot borrow an ebook, then I don't look for the same book via a paper-copy at the library or a used bookstore copy. I buy the ebook. I may choose to read a different book. Also, I often ask my library to purchase the ebook in question.
So far this year I have spent $57 on ebooks, mostly due to book club obligations. The value of ebooks that I have borrowed in 2017 is roughly $420 from Overdrive and $185 from Scribd (after subtracting the monthly fee).