Poll Results

So while I've been gathering books, I've taken a poll. There's some interesting results!

29 people took the poll and out of those 29:

55 percent say that yes word of mouth does impact their purchases.

17 percent say no it doesn't

27 percent said that they have a Kindle.

Why did I have the last choice there? Because I knew someone would spoil the no result if I didn't. Did they anyway? Who knows. But I think so far things are pointing to a successful experiment!

Data Update

While I'm waiting for a few things to calm down for me, I've posted a poll off to the side to collect some side data. Interesting results so far don't you think!

I've also heard from some authors who had really great sales at Barnes and Noble for a time and they've told me that once the chatter stopped, their sales tanked.

Does this mean I'm right? Well it makes me feel pretty good about my hypothesis. However, I still think this experiment needs to be done. It's getting close to time people!

So I ask you this. I'm going to gather everyone who is interested and add them to a list of books which I will post here. I will then have the subjects pick a book they'd like to read. I figure a group of 10 or 15 would be good enough. I have to keep this small as I'm the only one conducting the experiment. Does that sound good to you? I originally wanted to give them one week to read but I'm thinking maybe two weeks would be better. Not everyone can just zoom through a book.

Please leave feedback!

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!

Welcome!

Welcome to my lab kiddies! Here is where I will meddle around and experiment and find out what makes e-publishing tick. Things I generally wonder about like why good books get sales in one place and not another. Authors will be joining me on this and I'm sure many more will. After all, one will not find truth without experimentation!