DO NOT POST SURVEY I Why Readers Are Moved To Buy An eBook And What Stops Them: Favorite Authors And Word Of Mouth Wield Power, But Pricing Breaks The Deal Increasingly As Cost Rises; The $13-Dollar Wall

DO NOT POST SURVEY I Why Readers Are Moved To Buy An eBook And What Stops Them: Favorite Authors And Word Of Mouth Wield Power, But Pricing Breaks The Deal Increasingly As Cost Rises; The $13-Dollar Wall

A crackling good murder mystery always ends up decoding the killer's MMO—Means, Motive and Opportunity. Because ebooks give everyone with a computer, Kindle or other ebook reading device the opportunity to buy any ebook, the Winter 2011 Kindle Nation Citizen Survey played sleuth into the Motives and (financial) Means that drive a reader to buy, or yank them away from a purchase.

The survey asked: “What role do these these factors play in your decisions to buy ebooks?”

Author loyalty is the No. 1 motivator, with 93% led to buy because of a favored name on the cover. A robust 41% said they would “almost certainly buy” a book by one of their beloved authors, while 53% said they “could be influenced” to purchase because of the byline.

The next most powerful motivating factor is “word of mouth.” If the ebook comes highly recommended by a trusted person, 84% are inclined to buy it. Some 13% said they “almost certainly” would buy it, while 71% said word of mouth could well influence them to buy.

Specifically with ebooks, price rears its head next, moving 81% toward purchasing if the ebook is significantly cheaper than the hardcover or paperback edition. Some 21% are near-definite sales if the price difference is right, while 60% are influenced by the variation. Only 16% are unfazed by the price differences.

Price still rules in the ranked list of motivators: If “the ebook is priced at $3.99 or below,” 81% are inclined to buy it, with 13% definite about it and 68% admitting the low cost could influence them to buy.

It's a bit of a surprise that price held sway even over the category of the book. If “the ebook is on the bestseller list in one of my favorite categories,” some 63% are inclined to buy it. Only 5% are definite sales, while 58% are examining the goods with an inclination toward buying. It's at this point that the “negative motivating forces” are significant enough in statistical impact to mention. Some 35% say that just because the book is a bestseller in a favored category, that alone does not mean much in their purchase decision.

As ebook prices rise over $4, cost begins to gain power over content and authorship for individual buyers. At prices from $4 to $9.99, a narrow majority of 55% or all respondents are still inclined to buy, with 5% of them definite due to factors higher on the list of motivators. But 50% say only the price might influence them toward buying. And nearly a third of all, 32%, still say cost at those prices is not a significant factor, while 12% say it is becoming an issue at those levels.

Survey respondents faced another statement to consider in the survey: What role in buying ebooks is played if “you know you'll be able to read the ebook within the next month.” Over a third, 35%, of all respondents said they would would be inclined to buy the book, with 5% saying “definitely” and 30% allowing that the issue could influence them to buy. Over half of all respondents—56%--said the issue would have no impact on them.

Move down a peg on the list of motivators and we slam right into the ebook pricing controversy. If the ebook is not significantly cheaper than the hardcover or paperback, that's a deal breaker for 22% of respondents. Another 40% say the lack of price difference could influence them not to buy. While for a significantly high 31% lack of an ebook bargain price is not an issue, overall 62% are inclined to reject an ebook that is not a whole lot cheaper than its print cousin.

Resistance stiffens further as price rises. If ebooks cost between $10 and $13, 76% are inclined not to buy them. Some 19% call the pricing a deal breaker, and 57% allow that it could influence them not to buy. A shrinking number are unphased by the issue—17%--while just under 7% will buy anyway for other motivating reasons.

Resistance becomes a wall at the $13 point, with 90% or respondents repelled in one degree or another from buying. At the $13 point and up, price is a deal breaker for 49% of respondents outright and an additional 41% are inclined not to buy due to the price. Only 7% are unmoved one way or another, while a mere 3% say they will or might buy the ebook anyway.