Friday, December 9, 2011

First Experiment

Alright it's time to present the first experiment. Let's bust out the old school scientific method sheet! *pulls out protective goggles and a Bunsen burner*


(Always make sure to put your name and info here! :) )
The Mad E-Book Scientist
http://madebookscientist.blogspot.com
12/09/11


Scientific Method Worksheet

Problem: Why do some authors who write GREAT books have trouble selling them at Barnes and Noble?

Hypothesis: I believe that Nook users are very word of mouth oriented. They tend to hoard free books and not read them so authors don't get the exposure they should.

I believe that if they did read these books and post about them on various places nook users hang out that sales will increase.

Also I feel Smashwords does have some part in this. Some people like non DRM protected books or the option to download in multiple formats.

Experiment: I'm going to let the participants pick a book of their choice. They will read it over a course of one week and then go talk about it on various nook sites that are up to them. I will then get with the authors and see if their sales have increased and by how much. I figure a good time frame to make a good assessment by is the end of December. However, I will check in daily because I'm excited!

8 comments:

  1. Love it, Misty - I think you are absolutely right with your hypothosis. There are so many books and authors that I would never have heard of without the on line networking.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Yeah I figure I am too. I mean some people blame it on messed up rankings or rankings being fixed by the big 6 but come on. Did any indie author honestly think they would compete with someone with that much financial backing?

    How did Amanda Hocking do it? Word of mouth. How did Josh Graham do it for a summer? Word of mouth.. Alexis Harrington and Imogen Rose are reporting the same. When the chatter stops, book sales tank.

    We can't blame it on sales rank. People see these books every day on the different walls they are a part of. I think they're waiting for someone to read them!

    ReplyDelete
  3. What's this with Smashwords and DRM? My books are supposed to be DRM-free. I don't believe in the thing.

    ReplyDelete
  4. I believe that is a highly accurate hypothesis. Do we have a list of books to choose from. Maybe you should extend the excrement time since some of us might be slower readers.

    ReplyDelete
  5. @Susan - They probably are. I know Amazon keeps them DRM free if you make that choice. I'm not sure about B&N

    @Bakerette - Do you think two weeks would be enough time?

    ReplyDelete
  6. Im just saying sometimes it takes me the majority of a month to read through a book (no matter how good it is). Then for me to start speeding words, you may not see my results by the end of the month. Unless I can use a book I've already read.
    IDK, its your experiment.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Well I'll take that into consideration and ask the authors what they think. :)

    ReplyDelete