READING POLL

Selection bias. You might want to look that up before you place a lot of faith in the information you gather here. But anyway... I don't really notice whether a book is traditionally published or indie published. I read ebooks almost exclusively. My method for choosing what to read is roughly: Look at the cover. If it doesn't look as though it was slapped together in MS Paint, read the blurb. If there are no typos or grammatical errors and it sounds like something I might like, check the price. If it's not obscenely high (see below), download the free sample. Every couple of weeks, I go through the samples I've accumulated. If I get to the end of a sample without wanting to throw my Kindle across the room, I will usually buy the book. By the time I actually get around to reading it, several months might have passed, by which time I will have forgotten who published it, assuming I noticed in the first place. I don't know how many books I read per month - I just get a vague sense every now and then that it's been too long since I last read one. I'll guess two or three, averaged over a year. INDIE BOOKS (self-pubbed & small press): Approximately how many do you read per month? See above. Do you see a need for stronger editing? In some cases, yes. If I can tell from the sample that the author should have used an editor, I don't buy the book. I've read a couple of indie books that have started well and then lost their way in the middle (past the end of the free sample, in other words). This is a common problem with an author's first few books, which would usually be rejected by a traditional publisher (or at least, whipped into shape by an editor). Will you pay a higher price than $.99 for books that are edited well? I'm not that sensitive to price, as long as it's below what I consider reasonable. This is about £3 ($5) for an author I've not read before, and £5 ($7.50) for someone I'm familiar with. The going rate for a paperback where I live is about £8 ($12.75). If you answered YES, would you pay an equivalent price to traditionally published prices? Absolutely not, because indies don't have the same overheads as traditional publishers, and there aren't as many middlemen in the supply chain. TRADITIONALLY PUBLISHED BOOKS: Approximately how many do you read per month? See above. Do you see a need for stronger editing? Dear God, yes. But not the same type of editing that indies often need. I won't name names, but I can think of several books that would have been greatly improved by being hacked down to half or two-thirds of their length, and several series that went on at least one or two books longer than they should have done. It's partly our fault as readers for continuing to buy them, of course... Do you feel prices are set too high? For new releases and bestsellers, yes. But I'm long past the age when I wanted to read what everyone else was reading. If the price is above my limit, I just find something else to buy. It's not as if there's a desperate shortage of excellent books that I haven't read yet... Steven J Pemberton / http://www.pembers.net

INDIE BOOKS (self-pubbed & small press):
Approximately how many do you read per month?me=1 to 3, my kids=at least 2 each
Do you see a need for stronger editing?Yes. Some of the indie books are professional quality, but others range from a few too many errors to draft quality.
Will you pay a higher price than $.99 for books that are edited well?Yes and no. Only if the author has already become a favourite. We sample a lot of books and the $.99 price allows us to take more risks on books and discover more authors.The greatest appeal indies have for us right now is affordability. But even the $2.99 or $3.99 ebooks are much cheaper than trad - it's well worth it for an indie author we already like.
If you answered YES, would you pay an equivalent price to traditionally published prices? No - not for an ebook. Yes for a paperback (because we've already discovered the author and are less likely to be disappointed).

TRADITIONALLY PUBLISHED BOOKS:
Approximately how many do you read per month?me=1 or less, my kids=1 or 2 each
Do you see a need for stronger editing?No. There are errors sometimes, but a few are okay.
Do you feel prices are set too high?Yes - definitely for ebooks. Paperbacks are expensive because they cost more to produce so it's hard to say. Paying $15-$20 for a new release paper book that only *might* be good is too much to risk when you're on a tight budget - because just having a traditional publisher behind it doesn't guarantee that it's good or that you'll like it.

INDIE BOOKS (self-pubbed & small press):
Approximately how many do you read per month? 1 or 2
Do you see a need for stronger editing? sometimes;
Will you pay a higher price than $.99 for books that are edited well? yes
If you answered YES, would you pay an equivalent price to traditionally published prices? no

TRADITIONALLY PUBLISHED BOOKS:
Approximately how many do you read per month? 2 to 3
Do you see a need for stronger editing? no
Do you feel prices are set too high? yes; which is why I spend more time at the library.

I resist paying paperback prices for eBooks. eBooks cost lest to produce and distribute, and the price should be set accordingly.

INDIE BOOKS (self-pubbed & small press):
Approximately how many do you read per month? 0-1
Do you see a need for stronger editing? No - only good ones will sell!
Will you pay a higher price than $.99 for books that are edited well? No

TRADITIONALLY PUBLISHED BOOKS:
Approximately how many do you read per month? 1-2
Do you see a need for stronger editing? No
Do you feel prices are set too high? No - only for hardbacks

Louise Gibney
www.facebook.com/louise.gibney.writer
@literaturelou

INDIE BOOKS (self-pubbed & small press):
Approximately how many do you read per month? 2-3
Do you see a need for stronger editing? no
Will you pay a higher price than $.99 for books that are edited well? yes
If you answered YES, would you pay an equivalent price to traditionally published prices? depends on the book.

TRADITIONALLY PUBLISHED BOOKS:
Approximately how many do you read per month? 5-6
Do you see a need for stronger editing? no
Do you feel prices are set too high? sometimes yes I do. I don't want to pay a lot for a series of books.

I don't like e-books. I prefer traditonally published books.

INDIE BOOKS (self-pubbed & small press):
Approximately how many do you read per month? Maybe 2 a month
Do you see a need for stronger editing? Yes so are very poorly edited and have grammar issues, repeated lines, etc.
Will you pay a higher price than $.99 for books that are edited well? Yes
If you answered YES, would you pay an equivalent price to traditionally published prices? No, I am taking a chance on these. The only exception would be if someone told me it was really good and worth the price.

TRADITIONALLY PUBLISHED BOOKS:
Approximately how many do you read per month? About 3 (wish I had time to read more)
Do you see a need for stronger editing? Overall no, although sometimes I will see issues in with a mainstream book.
Do you feel prices are set too high? Yes, I think since there is no shipping or printing costs the prices could be lower but I also know authors and publishers need to make a living too.

INDIE BOOKS (self-pubbed & small press):
Approximately how many do you read per month?reading two now.
Do you see a need for stronger editing.--usually better than print books.
Will you pay a higher price than $.99 for books that are edited well? if I could. don't have much to spend on books.
If you answered YES, would you pay an equivalent price to traditionally published prices?

TRADITIONALLY PUBLISHED BOOKS:
Approximately how many do you read per month?12-15
Do you see a need for stronger editing? Yes, errors everywhere.
Do you feel prices are set too high? yes-usually shop thrift stores and yard sales.

Thank you very much for helping to research this very important information for readers and authors everywhere.