So there was this survey recently that states "One in Six Americans Now Use E-Reader with One in Six Likely to Purchase in Next Six Months."
That's promising, right?
Well, yes and no.
Don't get me wrong, I would love it if that statement was one hundred percent accurate, but I find myself often distrusting surveys. After all, they always sample a small portion of the population and somehow base their study on that small portion. From the study:
The options keep changing and bookstores are starting to feel the pressure. One major chain closed its doors for good this month while some of the others have rolled out their own e-Reader devices and are upgrading them regularly. Even The New York Times has changed the way it looks at bestsellers. It used to be just fiction and non-fiction; now it's also print versus e-Reader. And this is for a good reason as one in six Americans (15%) uses an e-Reader device up from less than one in ten (8%) a year ago. Also, among those who do not have an e-Reader, one in six (15%) say they are likely to get an e-Reader device in the next six months.
Now how many people were included in the study?
Why, only "2,183 adults surveyed online between July 11 and 18, 2011."
In a country of over 300 million people, 2,183 ain't much.
In fact, if the study were one hundred percent accurate, that would mean in a country of over 300 million people, there would be 45 million with e-readers, and another 45 million likely to purchase an e-reader in the next six months.
Seems high, but I guess that's believable.
As a writer who has begun putting a lot of faith in the fact that ebooks are indeed the future, these stats should make me happy.
Honestly, though, this survey is like any survey: a crapshoot.
Still, if nothing else, it's definitely something worth thinking about.
But let's just see where we are in six months, shall we?