I have been looking a bit some what obsessively at my sales numbers. Physical sales are significantly outselling eBook sales. Even when I have run promotions on the eBooks I have seen a bigger bumps in sales on physical copies than electronic. Considering the trend of eBook sales I find this strange. I wonder why that is. It can’t just be because we don’t want our kids touching our iPad and such. OK maybe they aren’t allowed to touch my iPad but the family iPad is used predominantly by my 3 and 5 year old.
If we buy apps for our children to play with, why not books. Or is this is an anomaly to my book. Are other children’s authors are finding the same thing. Even now with my eBook on sale for $1.99 http://www.amazon.com/Egret-The-Elephant-ebook/dp/B009JVYX1I People are still choosing to spend nearly $15.00 for a physical copy. http://www.amazon.com/Egret-Elephant-Meet-Volume/dp/1479170798/
If any of my readers are children’s writers I would love your opinion. Even if you’re not in the industry I am curious what your thoughts are. Would you buy an eBook for your child? I know I have, and have read to my kids from my iPad. Would you, do you?
© 2012, Corey Feldman. All rights reserved.
I’m a parent of a 5 year old and an 8 year old. I want a physical copy for several reasons.
1. I don’t own an ereader. I’m not letting my kids read a book on my Mac.
2. I’m old school. I still get a newspaper delivered to my door. I like having that in my hands.
3. I find it easier to keep my kids engaged with a book if its a physical copy.
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Thanks. I can understand that.
Corey Feldman recently posted…Would you by an eBook for your small child
Interesting! I have both hard copies and electronic copies of books for my kids, but I think they prefer hard copies mat least for now. I wonder if older children like ebooks more?
When Lizzy was little (she’s now 20), she used to chew the corners off of her books. No way I’d buy her ebooks!!
Now, of course, she has her own Kindle, and chew all she likes
I would almost always choose the physical book. That way they can take it to their room and read it alone. Or they can just pick it up instead of me suggesting that they open up the ereader and do it. For older kids I would maybe feel different, but for younger kids, I would choose the physical book because I feel like they would read it more often.
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Thanks all. I guess it does make sense.
Corey Feldman recently posted…Would you buy an eBook for your small child
Definitely spending the extra for physical books for my kids.
Public libraries and local book shops are great for getting kids turned on to physical copies of books. They can walk in and see the displays and peruse the pages and get a feel for the book. You could argue that online stores can do that to some extent, but not for kids unless you give them their own accounts where their preferences will drive the recommended reading.
If my first daughter gets her own account, we have to fund it, but then books cannot be passed down to our second unless they share an account. This is not an issue for physical books which we read, pass down, read again and then give to other kids.
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