The Canadian Book Buyer 2018

B N C R ES EARCH

The Canadian Book Buyer 2018

The Canadian Book Buyer 2018

Table of Contents 4

Introduction

4

Methodology

5

The Average Buyer

6

Frequency of Reading

7

Social Media Use

8

Library Use

9

Discoverability

12

Subject Performance

14

Sales by Channel

16

Sales by Format

16

Intended Use for Purchase

18

Want More Information?

18

About BookNet Canada

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The Canadian Book Buyer 2018

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ISBN: 978-1-927655-38-2 | ISNI: 0000000107013646

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The Canadian Book Buyer 2018

Introduction For many years, BookNet Canada has been asking book buyers about their buying habits and preferences — how they find out about books, where they shop, and what they read, along with a lot of other detailed questions about book-buying attitudes and preferences.

We often hear about the continuing shifts in the publishing industry, questions such as: How are people finding books? How much are people shopping online? Is book purchasing on the decline? The purpose of this study is to give a baseline report of some of the most basic questions that we are frequently asked — looking at how book-buying has been trending over the past three years.

Methodology BookNet Canada conducts quarterly online surveys of the Canadian public that ask about their book-buying habits. The questions contained in this ongoing survey are asked of adult respondents (aged 18+) who had purchased a book in any format in the prior month.

Data has been gathered from the following: 2016 – 1,827 respondents representing 4,479 purchases 2017 – 2,169 respondents representing 6,297 purchases 2018 – 2,942 respondents representing 8,618 purchases Rankings of sales categories have been obtained from BNC SalesData, the tracking service for print sales in the Canadian English-language trade book market.

Sampling details For the 2018 respondent panel, the margin of error is +/- 1.8% at a 95% confidence interval. Specific segments, or questions, may have a smaller sample size and a different margin of error.

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The Canadian Book Buyer 2018

The Average Buyer Who is the average Canadian book buyer?

She identifies as female; is 47 years old; is a graduate of a college or university; is married; and works full-time.

It is important to keep in mind that this survey was conducted online, which may slightly skew the results when considering the age of buyers. That being said, the majority of book buyers were over 65 years of age.

Book buyers by age 18-24 9%

19%

25-34 17%

35-44

45-54 18%

55-64 17%

65+ 20%

We asked book buyers how often they undertake certain book-related activities, including how often they read print books or listen to audiobooks. While we often hear that reading is increasingly losing out to other forms of competing entertainment1 — we’re looking at you, Netflix — we found that 97% of book buyers said they read at least occasionally and 33% said they read daily.

Looking at specific book formats, we found the following:

• Just over 93% of book buyers are reading print books, with a very slight year-over-year decline.

There is also a slight decline in daily reading: 33% in 2018, down 2% from 2016.

• Digital reading has remained relatively flat over the past three years, with 57% of book buyers reading ebooks at least occasionally in 2018.

• Audiobook listening, while still small in comparison to print, is seeing notable gains. Those book buyers who listen to audiobooks daily has increased from 2.5% in 2016 to 3.2% in 2018.

When we add up all those who listen to audiobooks, regardless of frequency, we find that use has increased from 11% in 2016 to 35% in 2018 — a whopping increase of 24%.

BookNet Canada. 2019. “Canadians and their leisure time: Leisure study part 1”. BookNet Canada https://www.booknetcanada.ca/ blog/2019/4/2/canadians-and-their-leisure-time-leisure-study-part-1. May 24, 2019

1

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The Canadian Book Buyer 2018

Frequency of Reading Overall reading frequency 20 16

20 17

20 16

20 18

80 %

80 %

70 %

70 %

60 %

60 %

50 %

50 %

40 %

40 %

30 %

30 %

20 %

20 %

10 %

10 %

0%

0%

Daily

1 – 3 times Less than once Rarely / Never per month a month, but sometimes

Several times a week / Weekly

Ebooks 20 17

20 18 80%

70 %

70%

60 %

60%

50 %

50%

40 %

40%

30 %

30%

20 %

20%

10 %

10% 0%

Daily

Several times a week / Weekly

20 18

1 – 3 times Less than once Rarely / Never per month a month, but sometimes

2016*

80 %

0%

Daily

20 17

Audiobooks 20 16

Print books

Several times a week / Weekly

1 – 3 times Less than once Rarely / Never per month a month, but sometimes

Daily

Several times a week / Weekly

2017

2018

1 – 3 times Less than once a Rarely / Never per month month, but sometimes

Question: How often do you engage in the following activities? Read print books, read ebooks, listen to audiobooks. *Audiobook use was surveyed for half of 2016

BNC RESEARCH

Readers Are Listening Audiobook Use in Canada 2018

If you are interested in more research specifically related to audiobook use in Canada, check out our report: Readers Are Listening: Audiobook Use in Canada 2018.

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The Canadian Book Buyer 2018

Social Media Use Canadian book buyers predominantly use the major social media platforms: Facebook, YouTube, and Instagram. Fewer book buyers are using book-related sites, such as Goodreads (10%) and LibraryThing (1%), though they do appear on the list.

Social media use 65%

Facebook YouTube

47% 28%

Instagram

26%

Twitter Pinterest

23%

LinkedIn

23%

WhatsApp

18%

TripAdvisor

12%

Google+

12%

Snapchat

11% 10%

Goodreads Reddit

8% 6%

Tu mblr

Flickr

2%

Fanfiction

2%

LibraryThing

1%

Wattpad

1%

49th Shelf

0% 19%

None

Question: In which, if any, of the following online social networks, communities or sharing sites do you currently participate? Please select all that apply.

For more information on social media use, check out our #AmReading series that reports on social media use by book-buying Canadians for all the major platforms: Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, Pinterest, Snapchat, and Twitter.

BNC RESEARCH

BNC RESEARCH

#AmReading: Canadian Book Buyers on Instagram

#AmReading: Canadian Book Buyers on Facebook

BNC RESEARCH

BNC RESEARCH

#AmReading: Canadian Book Buyers on YouTube

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#AmReading: Canadian Book Buyers on Pinterest

BNC RESEARCH

BNC RESEARCH

#AmReading: Canadian Book Buyers on Snapchat

#AmReading: Canadian Book Buyers on Twitter

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The Canadian Book Buyer 2018

Library Use In 2018, 54% of Canadian book buyers reported using the library in the prior month.

One question we are often asked is whether library use cannibalizes book sales — i.e., if library users purchase fewer books than those who don’t use the library. To address this, we compared the average number of book purchases between library users and those who do not use the library.

We found the following:

• Those who used the library bought more books than non-library users.

• Those who used the library 1-4 times in the prior month bought an average of 2.7 books.

• Those who used the library 5-9 times bought an average of 3.0 books.

• Book buyers who do not use the library purchased an average of 2.6 books per month.

Frequency of library use Average Number of Purchases 45% 2.6

Never 1-4 times

43%

5-9 times

7%

10-14 times

1%

20+ times

1% 0%

3.1

2%

15-19 times

2.7

6.1 4.9 3.0

5% 10% 15% 20% 25% 30% 35% 40% 45% 50%

Question: How many times did you visit a public library (in person or online) in the prior month?

B NC R ESEARCH

Borrow, Buy, Read:

Library Use and Book Buying in Canada

For a deeper dive into the relationship between book-buying and library use, check out our study Borrow, Buy, Read: Library Use and Book Buying in Canada, which compiles research from our consumer survey, leisure studies, SalesData, and LibraryData.

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The Canadian Book Buyer 2018

Discoverability How do book buyers find their next reads? Methods of discovering books have remained relatively unchanged over the past three years with browsing (in person or online) and familiarity with a specific author or series topping the list.

Where buyers discover books 2016

2017

2018 24% 22% 22%

Browsing in shop/online Read author/series

22% 22% 17% 17% 18%

Recommendation/review Bestseller list

6%

8%

7% 7% 7%

Have read before

7% 7% 7% 3%

Requested as gift

6% 5%

Film/TV/radio adaptation

4% 5% 5%

Shop window

4% 4% 5%

Author interview/event

4% 4% 5%

Preview in another book

4% 4% 5%

School/college/study/work

4% 3% 4%

Reading group/Book group Prize winner/nomination

8%

Follow author/series online

Advert/trailer/email alert

24%

2%

4% 4%

3% 3% 3% 3% 2% 3%

Question: How did you become aware of this book? Please select all that apply.

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The Canadian Book Buyer 2018

We asked those who discovered their book purchase through a recommendation or review where that recommendation or review came from. By far, the most common source was an in-person recommendation from a friend or relative, followed by a bookseller website.

Sources of recommendations and reviews Friend/relative/colleague in person

41%

Bookseller site

16%

Reader on bookseller site

15%

Friend/relative/colleague on social media

9%

Review site TV

6%

Staff in shop

5%

Teacher/course list

5%

Printed newspaper

4%

Special interest site/online community

4%

Radio

3%

Online forum/blog

3%

Printed magazine

3%

Staff in library

3%

Social media (general)

3%

Online/digital magazine

2%

Video sharing site

2%

Author website/social media

2%

Online/digital newspaper

2%

Publisher website

7%

1%

Question: Where did the recommendation/review come from? Please select all that apply.

In most cases, Canadians buy books because they either like the author (26%) or they are interested in the subject (27%). One decision-making method that has been steadily increasing over the past three years is the description of the book, which has grown from 16% to 19%.

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The Canadian Book Buyer 2018

Decision to buy 2016

2017

2018 25%

Interested in subject Like au thor 16%

Description of the book Like the series

18% 19% 19% 18% 18%

11% 11% 11% 11% 10% 11%

Recommendation/review Like main character Appealing front cover Read extract/looked inside

7%

Bestseller

7% 7%

Contained information needed

6% 7% 7% 3%

Bought as gift Bought for study/work

3%

9% 8% 9% 8% 8% 8%

7% 6% 4% 5% 4% 4% 4%

Best book on the subject Previously read Adaptation/film/on TV

3% 2% 2%

Author interview/event Reading group Book prize win/nomination

27% 27% 27% 26%

16% 16% 15%

Low price/special offer

Saw advert/trailer

26%

1% 1%

4% 4%

5% 5%

4%

3%

2% 2% 2% 2% 2% 2% 2%

Question: What made you decide to buy this book? Please select all that apply.

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The Canadian Book Buyer 2018

Subject Performance Below, we have included the five top-selling subjects in Fiction, Non-Fiction, Juvenile, and Young Adult (YA) according to print unit sales tracked by BNC SalesData over the past three years. It is important to note that significant sales for one or two big books can drastically impact sales in the relevant category for a given year.

Note that unit sales have been compiled from a representative subset of consistent retailers used for yearover-year comparison. For this reason, exact sales number have been redacted.

Fiction 2016

2017

2017

2018

2018

Thrillers

Romance

Literary

Mystery & Detective

Women

Non-Fiction 2016 Biography & Autobiography

Cooking

Self-help

Comics & Graphic Novels

Business & Economics

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The Canadian Book Buyer 2018

Juvenile 2 016

2 017

2 018

Juvenile Fiction / Humorous Stories Juvenile Fiction / Animals

Juvenile Fiction / Media Tie-In Juvenile Fiction / Action & Adventure Juvenile Fiction / General

Young Adult 2 016

2 017

2 018

YA Fiction / Fantasy

YA Fiction / Social Themes

YA Fiction / Romance

YA Fiction / Action & Adventure

YA Fiction / People & Places

For more information on category performance of print sales in the Canadian English-language trade book market, check out our annual publication The Canadian Book Market 2018. It looks at the sales performance of more than 60 genres, including top-selling titles and average list prices, in addition to providing information on consumer buying behaviour and an overview of the French-language market.

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The Canadian Book Buyer 2018

Sales by Channel Perhaps unsurprisingly, online sales are the most popular retail channel. When we combine all online and in-person channels and compare them, we find that online book-buying has grown from 48% in 2016 to 53% in 2018. Conversely, in-person purchasing has declined from 50% in 2016 to 45% in 2018.

Online vs in-person purchases 2016

2017

2018 48%

Online

52% 53% 50% 46%

In-person

45%

The following graph breaks out general website purchasing from ebook/audio sites and mobile apps.

Retail channels 201 6

201 7

201 8 38%

Online 25% 25% 25%

Chain Bookstores 9% 9% 9%

Indie Bookstores

General

8%

4% 4%

7% 6% 7%

Discount 5%

Ebook/Audio

6% 6%

5% 5% 5%

Mobile App

Book Club

Grocery

40% 42%

2% 3% 2% 1% 1% 1%

Question: Where did you buy this book?

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The Canadian Book Buyer 2018

There are many reasons why a buyer chooses to make their purchase at a particular store or website, so we asked buyers to tell us all of them. We found that convenience tops the list with “convenient or easy way to buy books” and “convenience of the retail outlet,” both at 26%. Books being in stock (21%) and available immediately (20%) are also high on the list.

Why buyers chose a particular store or website Convenient way to buy books

26%

Good selection

26%

Convenient place to shop

26%

Good price

25%

Book in stock

21%

Book available immediately

20%

Book was cheaper

18%

Good service

17%

Cheap/free delivery

16%

Happened to see the book there

16%

Easy to navigate

15%

Enjoy shopping there

14%

Have loyalty card/subscription

13%

Shopping there for other items

13%

Habit

10%

Gift card to use

9%

Able to read extract

9%

Good recommendations/reviews

6%

Able to order/preorder

5%

Specializes in this type of book

4%

To support this shop

4%

Only place to buy/linked to e-reader

3%

Mentioned in an email/newsletter Attended author event

3% 1%

Question: Why did you use this particular shop/website/organization to buy this book, rather than buying it somewhere else? Please select all that apply.

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The Canadian Book Buyer 2018

Sales by Format Over the past three years, we have found a slight increase in the purchase of hardcover books (up 3%) and a decline in paperback (down 5%). Ebooks have remained relatively flat and, while we have seen some increase to audiobook purchases, this can be hard to measure because of the popularity of audiobook subscription services, which buyers often don’t report as “purchases.” The “other” category has seen a 3% increase and contains a fairly broad scope of formats that includes spiral bound books, maps, DVDs, game cartridges, calendars, cards, blank books, posters, and sheet music (to name a few).

Format 2016

2017

2018 54%

Paperback

50% 49% 24%

Hardcover

25% 26% 17%

Ebook

19% 17% 3%

Audiobook

2% 4% 2%

Other

4% 5%

Intended Use for Purchase Readers were asked why they made their most recent purchase and they were allowed to select multiple reasons. By far, the most popular reason people buy books is to read for pleasure. This is followed by reading while commuting and for self-help or self-improvement.

Below, we have shown these reasons broken out by books purchased for buyers’ own use compared to books that were purchased as a gift. While trends are fairly similar between the two, we find a few obvious exceptions: books bought for commuting are predominantly a personal purchase and books bought to read with a child tend to be gifts.

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The Canadian Book Buyer 2018

Intended use for book purchases Purchased as a gift 12%

Read for pleasure Read while commuting Self-help/improvement Reference Read on holiday School/study Read to plan holiday Work Book group Read to/use with a child Storytelling session for child

Purchased for own use

1%

9%

2%

8%

2%

8%

2% 1% 1% 0%

54%

7% 4%

3%

2%

0% 2% 2%

5%

1% 1%

Question: What do you plan to use this book for?

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The Canadian Book Buyer 2018

Want More Information?

Has this report piqued your interest in finding out lots more about books in Canada? BookNet Canada has extensive research available on our website, both free and for purchase. Multi-user editions are available to be purchased for library use as well.

About BookNet Canada BookNet Canada is a non-profit organization that develops technology, standards, and education to serve the Canadian book industry. Founded in 2012 to address systemic challenges in the industry, BookNet Canada supports publishing companies, booksellers, wholesalers, distributors, sales agents, and libraries across the country.

BookNet Canada’s services and research help companies promote and sell books, streamline workflows, and analyze and adapt to a rapidly changing market. BookNet Canada sets technology standards and educates organizations about how to apply them, performs market research, and tracks 85% of all Canadian English-language print trade book sales through BNC SalesData.

Industry-led and partially funded by the Department of Canadian Heritage, BookNet Canada has become, as The Globe and Mail puts it, “the book industry’s supply-chain nerve centre.”

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