Has anyone else seen a sudden drop in booksales?

Steven Lake · 12-09-2010, 04:39 PM

I don't know if this is a new trend for this year, or something bigger, but is anyone else seeing a downward trend in book sales recently? I'm just asking because something feels off to me. Sales of my books have been awesome since they first hit the shelves just over a year ago. However, as of a few days before Black Friday and extending up through today, all of my book sales have dropped to almost nothing. Is it just me, or is anyone else seeing this happen? I'm just wondering, because if it's just me, I need to figure out where the wheel came off the wagon and get things rolling again. If it's not, and this is a market wide thing, then I know to just sit back and wait it out.

Also, as a side note, I've also seen a sharp drop off in visits to not only my own website, but a number of others I frequent or administer. That's what got me to thinking that this is a wider trend and not something isolated.

kcmay · 12-09-2010, 05:06 PM

Yeah, it coincided with the release of WoW Cataclysm! lol

Edit: seriously, my sales are actually increasing. I'm on track for a record-breaking month. /yay

Steven Lake · 12-09-2010, 11:36 PM

Oh, here's an interesting twist. Apparently according to my publisher, and at least two others, I'm not the only one who's seen sales tank of late. Apparently only a handful of authors are really doing good right now, and everyone else's sales are completely in the drink. So I guess it's not me, which is a relief. Now all I need to do is find out what I can do to reignite sales. There's got to be a logical explanation for this sudden die off of sales. If anyone wants to suggest a few ideas, I'm game.

James_Wilde · 12-10-2010, 04:09 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kcmay

Yeah, it coincided with the release of WoW Cataclysm! lol

Edit: seriously, my sales are actually increasing. I'm on track for a record-breaking month. /yay

Good news, KC. You deserve it.

bthrowsnaill · 12-10-2010, 08:38 AM

People don't give ebooks as gifts, right? Assuming that's true, then I wonder if there's a seasonal downtrend around the holidays?

Steven Lake · 12-10-2010, 09:12 AM

Well, I'm both seeing it in the ebook and pbook arenas for myself and the others I talked with, so I can't think it's unique to ebooks, although I can easily see how ebooks would be affected by this time of year.

Now one period of time I'm looking forward to is tax time. Why? Simple. People have money, and all that pent up spending urge goes into full swing. The March/April/May period is probably my biggest three months of the entire year. Books fly out the door like crazy during that time.

kcmay · 12-10-2010, 09:18 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bthrowsnaill

People don't give ebooks as gifts, right? Assuming that's true, then I wonder if there's a seasonal downtrend around the holidays?

Kindle books can be given as gifts, but I doubt they're doing it this early. Maybe people are buying Kindles for gifts and loading them with books they think the recipient will like.

joeleitz · 12-10-2010, 07:42 PM

I know personally I wouldn't give electronic books as gifts but I've been doing quite a lot of shopping recently at traditional bookstores (easier to wrap) and the stores seem to be packed with people. It doesn't look like all sales are down.

_________________
[link removed by moderation]

Steven Lake · 12-10-2010, 11:24 PM

Well, yeah, I did say that not everyone's sales are down. But some people's are and they're down pretty hard. Of course, I'm only seeing the drop happen with me through direct sales. I may find out come January 1st that my regular sales through my publisher (ie, via amazon, B&N, etc) were just knocking them down one after another and only direct sales dried up for the period. I've heard of that happening before where one area sees sales like gangbusters and the other doesn't see squat.

Steven Lake · 12-11-2010, 01:20 PM

Well, how's this for funny. I was sitting here today working on a book and suddenly *whoom!* in come the book sales again. I mean, they just flooded in out of the clear blue. I guess everyone was just waiting to see how things shaped up money wise around here, because I didn't expect a return to normal book sales until after the first. But if today's numbers hold up through the end of the year, I will officially be able to consider myself as back on track again.

I hate little droughts like this, but I do have to admit that it did some good by making me re-evaluate everything I was doing and go back through all my marketing to make sure I was putting my energy where it was most effective.

Kemp · 12-11-2010, 05:33 PM

Though I've only got one book out at the moment, I noticed a bit of a lull this week on Amazon, but I had quite a few from the UK Amazon site, so...

It's hard to predict this sort of thing. Although, I'd bet there will be a nice healthy surge on December 25/26th.

Luke King · 12-11-2010, 06:29 PM

If there's anything strange about this time of year, then I'd say it's the Christmas thing - people being put out of their normal routines. Everyone's shopping, and planning, and seeing people. That's what it's like here, anyway.

People who might usually be online looking for books to read might not have the time.

Steven Lake · 12-11-2010, 06:45 PM

Yeah, that's sorta what I'm beginning to think too. I probably would have wrote this off as a holiday hickup if it wasn't for the fact that I did awesome last Christmas and didn't have one of these lulls until this year.

Cliff Ball · 12-11-2010, 09:09 PM

It's been a dead week for my sales. I was in a B&N here in D/FW on Thursday, and it looked like a normal business day to me. But, then again, I've never lived anywhere that had a B&N every 10 miles! lol

12-09-2010, 04:39 PM	#1
Steven Lake Sci-Fi Author Posts: 1,158 Karma: 14743509 Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: Michigan Device: PC (Calibre)	Has anyone else seen a sudden drop in booksales? I don't know if this is a new trend for this year, or something bigger, but is anyone else seeing a downward trend in book sales recently? I'm just asking because something feels off to me. Sales of my books have been awesome since they first hit the shelves just over a year ago. However, as of a few days before Black Friday and extending up through today, all of my book sales have dropped to almost nothing. Is it just me, or is anyone else seeing this happen? I'm just wondering, because if it's just me, I need to figure out where the wheel came off the wagon and get things rolling again. If it's not, and this is a market wide thing, then I know to just sit back and wait it out. Also, as a side note, I've also seen a sharp drop off in visits to not only my own website, but a number of others I frequent or administer. That's what got me to thinking that this is a wider trend and not something isolated.

12-10-2010, 07:42 PM	#8
joeleitz Banned Posts: 3 Karma: 10 Join Date: Dec 2010 Device: none	I know personally I wouldn't give electronic books as gifts but I've been doing quite a lot of shopping recently at traditional bookstores (easier to wrap) and the stores seem to be packed with people. It doesn't look like all sales are down. _________________ [link removed by moderation] Last edited by dreams; 12-11-2010 at 01:46 AM.

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12-09-2010, 05:06 PM	#2
kcmay Addict Posts: 363 Karma: 500001 Join Date: Jul 2010 Location: Georgia, USA Device: Kindle2	Yeah, it coincided with the release of WoW Cataclysm! lol Edit: seriously, my sales are actually increasing. I'm on track for a record-breaking month. /yay

12-09-2010, 11:36 PM	#3
Steven Lake Sci-Fi Author Posts: 1,158 Karma: 14743509 Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: Michigan Device: PC (Calibre)	Oh, here's an interesting twist. Apparently according to my publisher, and at least two others, I'm not the only one who's seen sales tank of late. Apparently only a handful of authors are really doing good right now, and everyone else's sales are completely in the drink. So I guess it's not me, which is a relief. Now all I need to do is find out what I can do to reignite sales. There's got to be a logical explanation for this sudden die off of sales. If anyone wants to suggest a few ideas, I'm game.

12-10-2010, 08:38 AM	#5
bthrowsnaill Dreamer Posts: 112 Karma: 501282 Join Date: Sep 2010 Location: Philadelphia, PA Device: kindle	People don't give ebooks as gifts, right? Assuming that's true, then I wonder if there's a seasonal downtrend around the holidays?

12-10-2010, 09:12 AM	#6
Steven Lake Sci-Fi Author Posts: 1,158 Karma: 14743509 Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: Michigan Device: PC (Calibre)	Well, I'm both seeing it in the ebook and pbook arenas for myself and the others I talked with, so I can't think it's unique to ebooks, although I can easily see how ebooks would be affected by this time of year. Now one period of time I'm looking forward to is tax time. Why? Simple. People have money, and all that pent up spending urge goes into full swing. The March/April/May period is probably my biggest three months of the entire year. Books fly out the door like crazy during that time.

12-10-2010, 11:24 PM	#9
Steven Lake Sci-Fi Author Posts: 1,158 Karma: 14743509 Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: Michigan Device: PC (Calibre)	Well, yeah, I did say that not everyone's sales are down. But some people's are and they're down pretty hard. Of course, I'm only seeing the drop happen with me through direct sales. I may find out come January 1st that my regular sales through my publisher (ie, via amazon, B&N, etc) were just knocking them down one after another and only direct sales dried up for the period. I've heard of that happening before where one area sees sales like gangbusters and the other doesn't see squat.

12-11-2010, 01:20 PM	#10
Steven Lake Sci-Fi Author Posts: 1,158 Karma: 14743509 Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: Michigan Device: PC (Calibre)	Well, how's this for funny. I was sitting here today working on a book and suddenly whoom! in come the book sales again. I mean, they just flooded in out of the clear blue. I guess everyone was just waiting to see how things shaped up money wise around here, because I didn't expect a return to normal book sales until after the first. But if today's numbers hold up through the end of the year, I will officially be able to consider myself as back on track again. I hate little droughts like this, but I do have to admit that it did some good by making me re-evaluate everything I was doing and go back through all my marketing to make sure I was putting my energy where it was most effective.

12-11-2010, 05:33 PM	#11
Kemp Zealot Posts: 106 Karma: 271834 Join Date: Jan 2010 Location: Minnesota Device: none	Though I've only got one book out at the moment, I noticed a bit of a lull this week on Amazon, but I had quite a few from the UK Amazon site, so... It's hard to predict this sort of thing. Although, I'd bet there will be a nice healthy surge on December 25/26th.

12-11-2010, 06:29 PM	#12
Luke King Member Retired Posts: 173 Karma: 200000 Join Date: Aug 2010 Location: Australia Device: Kindle 2	If there's anything strange about this time of year, then I'd say it's the Christmas thing - people being put out of their normal routines. Everyone's shopping, and planning, and seeing people. That's what it's like here, anyway. People who might usually be online looking for books to read might not have the time.

12-11-2010, 06:45 PM	#13
Steven Lake Sci-Fi Author Posts: 1,158 Karma: 14743509 Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: Michigan Device: PC (Calibre)	Yeah, that's sorta what I'm beginning to think too. I probably would have wrote this off as a holiday hickup if it wasn't for the fact that I did awesome last Christmas and didn't have one of these lulls until this year.

12-11-2010, 09:09 PM	#14
Cliff Ball Zealot Posts: 135 Karma: 525420 Join Date: Aug 2010 Location: Texas Device: none	It's been a dead week for my sales. I was in a B&N here in D/FW on Thursday, and it looked like a normal business day to me. But, then again, I've never lived anywhere that had a B&N every 10 miles! lol

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