Readers Who View Sample Book Chapters Online More Likely to Purchase

FRANKFURT--(BUSINESS WIRE)--At the Frankfurt Book Fair 2009, new data on how readers have sampled book content online over the past 18 months points to the changing nature of how book selection is conducted by consumers. That’s according to LibreDigital, which has powered more than 500 million page views of sample book chapters and content for some of the world’s top publishers, authors, retailers and social networking sites.

“We know that allowing readers to preview book chapters before buying has a positive impact on both print and eBook sales,” said Russell P. Reeder, President and CEO of LibreDigital, Inc. “In the case of one well-known book publisher, one in three people who browsed decided to purchase the book online. As a result, leading publishers are increasing their use of online previews when planning promotional campaigns for both new and existing book titles.”

Highlights of other general online book browsing trends include:

• Women are spending nearly 70 percent more time browsing books online than men do.
• The most popular genre of books browsed online is romance novels, followed by books for tweens/teens and business books. The peak time for browsing romance titles is 11pm – 1am, in contrast to 4pm - 11pm for tween/teen books and 9am – 5pm for business books.
• An average reader spends more than 15 minutes browsing a book. They also preview an average of 46 pages of each book they browse.
• Adults are more likely to share links to content via email, while younger readers prefer to share within social networks like Facebook and MySpace.

LibreDigital works with six of the world’s top ten book publishers, including HarperCollins Publishers, Hachette Book Group, Simon & Schuster and Wiley, and many of the leading newspapers. LibreDigital helps them to securely deliver content across an expanding array of digital channels, including eReaders, smart phones, search engines, online stores, and new print-on-demand devices. The LibreDigital BookBrowse feature allows authors and publishers to determine which portions of a book can be previewed online.

For more information visit www.libredigital.com. Twitter: @LibreDigital.

About LibreDigital

LibreDigital makes it profitable to manage and market digital content, providing a web-based warehouse and distribution platform for six of the top ten book publishers and over 175 newspapers and periodicals. The LibreDigital solution allows publishers to store and secure digital content in any form, and to deliver content on-demand to any marketplace, consumer, or device. LibreDigital serves the world’s top firms in over 120 countries including HarperCollins Publishers, Hachette Book Group, John Wiley & Sons and Simon & Schuster. Backed by Adams Capital Management, Triangle Peak Partners, Noro-Moseley Partners, the New York Times Company, and HarperCollins Publishers, LibreDigital partners with a number of industry leaders, including Baker & Taylor, to provide a full range of solutions. LibreDigital is based in Austin, Texas, with offices in New York City and the United Kingdom. www.libredigital.com

LibreDigital is a trademark of LibreDigital, Inc. All other company and product names mentioned are used only for identification and may be trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective companies.