On January 1st, certain New Year’s resolutions are always popular—eat better, exercise more, quit smoking (again), finally write that book—but the start of a new year is a great time for business-related resolutions, too. So if you’re looking to get more out of your book-related business, here are five resolutions that can help you start the year off right.
A Holiday Report from the Research Elves
Reading, Apps, and the Modern Kid
It has been years since Apple coined the phrase “There’s an app for that.” Now, as we head into the time of year when smartphones, tablets, and other app-using devices fly off the shelves, let’s look at which apps and devices are the most popular among Canadians.
As part of our recent study of reading trends among young people in Canada, Measuring Attitudes and Adoption of Digital Content for Kids and Teens, we asked a series of questions about app usage and attitude towards apps as they relate to reading.
Let's Get Digital
Want to know how your digital publishing program measures up? Curious about how, why, and how fast Canadian publishers are going digital?
BookNet’s latest research initiative, The State of Digital Publishing in Canada, will set a benchmark to track the progress of digital publishing in Canada. But first, we need you to tell us about your digital program.
No Ads Allowed: The Next Generation of Book Discovery
Infographic: Kids & Teens E-Reading Study
Looking Back at Book Pricing Trends
In October 2005, BookNet Canada began tracking sales data on print books in the Canadian market, including average list and selling prices. Consumer prices on other goods had long been tracked, but this was the beginning of comprehensive, national, data gathering on books.
At the time, a bag of roasted coffee beans cost $11.25/kg, a domestic stamp was $.50 and a ticket to the movies cost just over $6.00. Today, coffee is close to $20/kg, mailing a letter will set you back $.62, and a 3D movie ticket can cost as much as $18.00. It seems that everything we consume is getting more expensive.
But a new BookNet Canada research study, available to SalesData subscribers only, has revealed that books are bucking the trend…
The State of Childhood E-Reading So Far
Children are now, for the most part, being raised as digital natives in North America. Their little fingers become adept at swiping screens at an early age, but parents and educators are still debating whether children should be reading much online. Where do things stand now? We’re working on some consumer research of our own to find out, but in the meantime I thought we could look at what’s happening in the US and UK.
Nerd Spotting
When I first began work on The Canadian Book Consumer reports I was overwhelmed by the data. The first week is a blur of Excel spreadsheets and percentages, mixed in with feelings of trepidation and uncertainty. But as I continued I discovered that there were distinct patterns in the data, particularly when I was tasked with creating consumer profiles based on genre preferences.
Data and Wisdom at MIP 2013
The tenth annual Making Information Pay (MIP) conference ran under the banner “Data. Information. Knowledge. Wisdom.” This annual, half-day conference from the Book Industry Study Group encouraged attendees to use data to make business decisions, a notion that BookNet firmly believes in and advocates.
