I have been looking at the sales mix (net units sold) between online outlets like Amazon, and brick-and-mortar outlets, including independent booksellers. Based on the admittedly cautionary statistics from a BookStats 2010 survey, the breakdown is roughly as follows:
2010 BookStats Distribution Channels
- Brick & Mortar = ~64%
- Online Retail = ~36%
I am guessing (educated guess) that these numbers will shift toward Online Retail in the 2011 statistics, perhaps changing the balance in the direction of 60/40 or better. Whatever the case, the online distribution model still has a ways to go before overtaking brick & mortar book sales.
Takeaway: Don’t go all-digital just yet. Having a physical book is still very important.
In developing these numbers, I had an interesting email conversation with someone from the Book Industry Study Group (BISG), who pointed me to these summary presentations about the state of the industry.
Two findings struck me with particular force:
Takeaway: Know thy audience.