The State of our Reading Habits (2015 edition)
I don’t know about you all, but I could use a small breather from the heavy this week. So as I was thinking about this week’s post, I kept circling back to a couple of interesting tweets from Digital Book World. First, a comment from Kobo’s head bookseller, Nathan Maharaj, that “If readers paid only for what they read, publishing would be sunk” (paraphrased or quoted by Jane Friedman), attesting to the fact that so many of us buy books we don’t read right away, if ever. Then Jane Friedman’s comment that “Romance started off as best performing genre in ebook format & still is. Now at 24% of entire ebook market.” (this appeared to be a piece of data presented by President of Nielsen Book Jonathan Nowell).
Just these two pieces of information tell us a lot. Specifically, Romance occupies almost a quarter of the entire digital book market, and readers as a whole (including and perhaps especially Romance readers) buy a whole lot of books, many of which they may never read. We’ve always known that Romance is one of the largest genre book markets, even when print was the only game in town. And we know that Romance authors have been most flexible in experimenting with digital and indie publishing, continuing to expand the genre’s market share.
So, with all that Romance being published, what’s the state of the genre for its readers? I know that as much Romance as I purchase, I’ve actually been reading in other genres more lately (SFF, UF, non-fiction, and literary fiction, among others). And I’ve been reading less historical Romance, which used to dominate the bulk of my reading choices. In fact, a number of my favorite historical Romance authors have crossed over to contemporary, even YA and NA, which has tipped the balance of my reading away from historicals. I’m not sure how I feel about that balance, even as I’ve been enjoying the crossover writing among a number of talented writers (not that those authors who don’t cross over aren’t talented – just that some talented authors whose books I enjoy have been writing books in multiple subgenres).
I’ve also been re-reading a lot of older books, especially some of the older Harlequins and epic historicals. And my consumption of audiobooks has exponentially increased. In fact, there are some authors who have become auto-buy in audiobook for me; the J.D. Robb books are a perfect example, because I can listen to them casually and feel like I’m catching up with old friends without having really high expectations, if that makes sense. And thanks to Twitter recommendations, I’ve downloaded some literary classics on audio, including Lessing’s Golden Notebook and Elliot’s Middlemarch (as well as Gaskell’s North and South, a long-time favorite).
I can also not remember the last time I purchased a Romance book in print – although I’m still reading certain types of non-fiction in print, in part because I can share the books and they’re still really expensive in digital.
So how about you? With all the Romance being published right now, are you reading more of it? And if so, what are you enjoying most? Do you feel like your reading tastes are adequately represented by the current market, and if not, what would you like to see more of? What do you wish would trend out of fashion for a while? And how have your reading habits changed, if at all, since self-publishing became so popular? Do you anticipate any change as agency pricing makes its grand return?
I am really trying to be more conscious of my buying habit when it comes to books. Far too often over the past three years, as I have had a Kindle app, I have fallen into the lure of “it is so cheap,” “it is free,” “I will read this later,” with the end result being that my Kindle is filled with books I don’t know when I would read, if ever.
It is also filled with books I have read, and reread, so it is not a complete loss.
What I am trying to do now is to add interesting books to a Kindle wishlist over at Amazon, so I will have some time to think about whether or not I really want the book before buying it.
It has been almost the same with physical books, but it is much more difficult to get to the physical romance novels from Norway (factoring in shipment, or when I am traveling) so there are less impulse buys there.
My reading habits have definitely changed due to self-publishing.
My historical romance reading is very low, while my contemporary romance reading has swung up because I can now find more diversity and more romantic comedy (this took a beating with chick-lits sudden fall from grace ten years ago). I’ve also cautiously dipped my toes back into urban fantasy, since there’s a lot of it available through self-pub. I also bounce between category romance published by Harlequin and Entangled. Otherwise, I read a lot of historical mysteries and historical women’s fiction (I am a Beatriz Williams fangirl).
Surprisingly, I’ve broken down and begun to buy nonfiction in ebook format–impatience and shortened attention span, I suppose.
I can’t think of anything I want to trend out of–if I don’t read it I don’t pay attention to it. The only thing I want is more Big Book historical romance. Meaning, plots that can’t be concluded in two weeks or a few months, characters with bigger goals than their tiny social circle, big historical events, epic romantic entanglements, ongoing plot arcs, etc. This is why I’m turning to backlist.
I am dreading the return of agency pricing, but I have found some new self-published authors and a few of my favorites have started dipping their toes in self-publishing. I’m in the buy more than you ever read category, so I’ll buy while I can and read what I have when the prices go up again,
Motorcycle clubs could trend out and I would be a happy camper. It’s just not my thing and it is everywhere.
The number of books I read on a monthly/yearly basis is pretty constant, but the genres tend to change. I used to read primarily historical romances, but as my reviews indicate, I now read a mixture of YA/NA, historicals, contemporary and other genres. I guess I’m just more picky when it comes to historicals these days, and I’d really love to see more settings that are not 19th century England. I’ve pretty much given up on romantic suspense; I like it when it’s done well, but current trends within that sub-genre aren’t my thing. Like Lisa, I wouldn’t mind if motorcycle clubs went away. I have zero interest in those, and several authors I like went in that direction, much to my disappointment.
As for self-publishing, if a book sounds like it might interest me, absolutely. But I am less likely to buy self-pubbed books that are available on Amazon only for any extended period of time. I understand that this might be best for the author, but it’s not the best for me to pay extra Whispernet fees. With traditionally published books, there’s an odd trend of making the British editions available rather than the US ones. That means I have to wait longer and pay more – and I’m not even in the UK! No thanks to that as well. Agency doesn’t affect me as much as some readers, since there are already a lot of restrictions in terms of what I can get and for how much (e.g. daily deals often don’t work for me).
So while I am open to reading more genres than I did in the past, costs, availability and publishing trends cancel this out in terms of how much I actually read.
I’m a huge fan of audiobooks – I had to sort of learn how to listen to them, if that makes sense, but I have a long commute and I love ‘reading’ while I drive! And then listening to a chapter while I fall asleep (at home, safe in bed, not on the road!)
In terms of what I’d like to see more/less of? The uber-alpha hero has to fade out someday, doesn’t he? And I’d love to see more smart writing with characters who use their brains and do things that make sense. I’m really excited about Courtney Milan’s upcoming NA book – it really feels like it could be taking NA in the direction I want it to go!
@Rose — Wait, /you’re/ paying WhisperNet fees? …but Amazon eats that from the author. They charge the author about a dime per book, if selling in a “blessed” 70% royalty zone, or drop the royalty to 35% for everywhere else that’s not one of the “blessed” countries.
They’re getting their fees coming and going, I guess. …I have nothing but emoticons to say about that.
@Elizabeth on her phone: Well, I’m paying *something*, that’s for sure – Amazon tells me the Whispernet is free, but the prices are often exactly $2 more than what the books are listed for. It’s clearly not taxes, because the markup can be more than the actual price of the book (e.g. if it’s a deal or a novella).
It doesn’t always happen. Sometimes the charges appear and later disappear. I don’t know what power authors and publishers have in this regard, but I imagine there are things that can be done. I’ve never seen any Courtney Milan books with extra charges, for instance.
I always read a mix of genres, and still do that – in the romance I still mostly read m/m, I also read historical non-fiction, regular scifi/fantasy, some literary fiction as well. I am reading less mysteries now than I am used for some reason, but I always been a pretty eclectic type of reader, so my reading selections will continue to fluctuate I would imagine.
I read a lot of Harlequins, mainly Presents, Desire and Blaze, because I don’t write category, so it doesn’t affect that side of my life. But I’m finding them less satisfactory, so I’m looking for some of the category authors who have spread their wings, like Sarah Morgan and Mira Lyn Kelley.
I’m also reading historicals again, but cautiously. The trend of the “wallpaper” historical, and the transpositoin of 21st century characters into the past could die tomorrow and I wouldn’t miss it. Picking up a “historical” with no history in it was one of the things that pushed me away, except for well-trusted authors like Mary Balogh. I mainly replaced it with sassy contemporaries by the likes of Victoria Dahl, but I’m getting a bit full of those, although they’re still on my list.
I could do without the NA and YA books, and I agree, I’m not a big reader of motorcycle club books. The initial push for those came from the TV series “Sons of Anarchy,” so what about some series on the “Justified” lines? Maverick marshalls? Would love some of those.
I’m going back to the paranormal, too, but my taste tends to go to the paranormal beings in our world, rather than the complete fantasy.
I read a lot of historical non fiction. There has been a fabulous rise in eighteenth century studies recently, and a whole slew of new authors in that genre. I love Dan Cruickshank’s books!
I read fiction in ebook (can’t remember when I last read a print fiction book, but I do collect signed copies of ones I have in e) and non fiction mainly in print.
@Rose:
It used to work that way for me, too. The mysterious fee was exactly $2, but it wasn’t always applied. I could never really work out whether there was any logic to it. But about a year ago, the fee just magically disappeared and it’s never applied anymore. Here’s hoping it’ll disappear where you live, too.
@Lynne Connolly: I hear you on the Harlequins. The last few I’ve read have been, at best, average and many I couldn’t even finish. The only recent exception was the last Kathleen Eagle one. I used to be able to count on them for readable books and, from certain authors, incredible books. Now I feel like crossing my fingers each time I open one up.
My book buying* is probably about 90% digital right now, with most of the paper books I obtain being ARCs. This is due to budget issues and lack of an accessible book store. (The only time I’ve paid more than $3.99 for a single ebook, was after I won a $50 amazon GC. And most of them were still under $5.)
However, most of my book reading seems to still be paper. I have a lot of unread paper still and my library seems to have more of the books I want to read only in paper.
I’m not reading much romance at the moment. I’d attribute this to a combo of the current trend toward contemporaries, which rarely appeal to me for some reason, and the staleness of most historical’s settings.
I could do with less navy seals, mma fighters, and motorcycle gangs.
*Most of the books I get as gifts are still paper. I’m not sure why. Its not like any of us like wrapping presents and the ebooks are generally cheaper.
I read and re-read a lot of romantic suspense – two of my auto buy authors have now turned to self publishing so their books are cheaper for me to buy. I also read more contemporary now, and historical mysteries.I did step out of my comfort zone last year and picked up a steampunk series which I am really enjoying.
Books I wish would trend out of fashion? Motorcycle Clubs, Rock Groups and YA/NA!
I buy everything digital and pretty much have for a long time now. I’ve also been trying, pretty successfuly for about 6 months now, to be conscientious with my book purchasing. I try not to buy books on sale that I don’t expect to read in a reasonable amount of time (sorry, Jane Freidman). My Scribd subscription helps with that because the sale books are often on there so I can add them to my library. Scribd and library digital lending help when I stare into my Kindle, find nothing I’m in the mood for, and just crave something “new.”
I’ve been really busy with work lately, so I’ve found that short and sweet contemporary is my go-to right now. Category length is perfect for my schedule. I have been worn out on Regencies and Victorians for a while now so I read them pretty sparingly. If I make time for a historical, it’s probably a Western. I’m also pretty bored with erotica and read a helluva lot less of that than I used to. I’m also reading a lot more NA than I ever thought I would because it feels like a lot of fresh voices are dipping into that well.
I am such an eclectic reader, I wouldn’t judge any trend by *my* tastes — unless of course I have a chance to beat my drum for more beta heros, more characters defined by their brains (for whatever, from theologians to thiefs, from corporate lawyers to con artists) than by their beauty or brawn.
I do process the paperback donations for our library, and the biggest trend I see is away from mm paperbacks. I used to be able to stock our shelves completely from donations, good quality both in physical and literary terms. Now I’m reduced to picking among boxes of tattered remnants from somebody’s grandmother’s attic.
I assume that all of those former mmpbk readers are now reading ebooks, which cannot be donated to the library. Worse (from my point of view) I no longer have that insight into the shifting genre preferences which allow me to purchase titles my community wants to read.
What I *do* see is significantly less paranormal, more romantic suspense; and a surprising bifurcated trend: on the one hand, historicals and contemps (to my dismay) are getting much much “spicier”, more graphically erotic; on the other, inspies are becoming much more varied and nuanced, in setting and characterization and theme.
Still not seeing ANY m/m on my donation carts; I don’t know whether that’s because they’re all in e-form, because my community doesn’t read them, because those that do want to keep and re-read them, or some combination of the above.
I buy or borrow everything in digital or audio. I’ve gotten to where I can’t read paper books anymore. I try to mostly buy books that are only on my to-read list unless it’s a book that’s been spotlighted by a trusted source.
My reading tastes change a lot. It’s like they are on an ocean wave, coming and going then coming back again. I’m not a big fan of fighter books, but I have a sick love for motorcycle books, but I’m also pretty careful of the ones I buy because there are a lot of terrible MC books out there.
I love and hate self pub. It feels like there are more terrible authors out there in the self pub world than there are great ones. Sometimes it feels like I’ve lowered my writing standard because of self pub books.
I’ve bought I almost exclusively digital for the last two years because I live in a remote location and it’s easier. It saves space. I have the ability to increase font size and the ability to binge reading an author through scribd or Amazon. Finally, I love exploring all the many different all the sub-genres. My reading tastes have changed from historical and sci-fi in paper books to contemporary, SFF, m/m, NA, and Paranormal/ UF in digital. I do listen to audio books when I’m traveling or doing house work. When traveling is my ereader is always with me. it’s made me so patient – I don’t mind standing in lines if I can read just a couple more pages.
What I would most like to see is the demise of series and serials. It seems like it’s virtually impossible to find single title standalone novels now. I find the experience of reading serials which focus on a single couple particularly unsatisfying, even if there is a resolution at the end of each book. With series, I don’t mind them sometimes, but I just don’t want every book I read to come with three or four others in its wake.
I’m so bummed that Agency pricing never really went away since they still are not couponable and haven’t been except for one month last year since Agency pricing supposedly went away . Yes, Amazon, Google, etc puts agency published books on sale sometimes, but that’s them choosing which books to discount. I want the choice. I also don’t like that Harlequin, Carina Press, etc are now subject to HarperCollins’ policies and so are no longer eligible for the loyalty program at ARe.
I still buy a few authors in print, but I am 99.9% digital.
I have about given up on Historicals (though still have a ton of books in my TBR when and if I ever get in the mood to read it again). I have also become more circumspect on buying self-published titles. My favorite genres at the moment are contemporary, romantic suspense, and futuristics though I also read a bit in the paranormal genre.
I buy a lot of digital but I’ve found myself purchasing more and more paper lately.
I’m finding that unless the book is highly anticipated – new books get lost in noise when I buy digital. Paper books sit around and accuse me of not reading them. Some books I have in digital I re-buy in paper to put on my shelves.
I buy all Ilona Andrews books in paper. And sometimes digital, too. Stop judging me, lol! I think she’s my only auto-buy author at this point.
My home is already overloaded with print books, so now 99.9% of anything I buy and borrow is digital, with the very rare exception. Yes, it does lead to a huge TBR, but I’m OK with that. I read quite a bit of non-fic and a smattering of SFF, all of which I mostly get in digital from the library (though I will always pre-order and impatiently await midnight delivery of any GGK, Naomi Novik, and PC Hodgell books).
I haven’t found my tastes (which lean to historicals, erotic romance, contemporary, and the odd non-shifter PNR, SFR and UF) overall changing but they’re getting more particular about the selections. I do find that I’m reading more contemporary recently – lots of very strong new & new-to-me authors – though I’m nitpicky that they don’t veer too hard into NA-land (1st person narrative is an automatic “no-buy” for me).
I’m not generally enjoying the recent proliferation of novellas, even ones within a series (and do not get me started on serials >.<). Not all authors are proficient with the shorter length, and often I'm just getting into a story and then, poof, it ends – very frustrating.
Like many others here, I would be quite happy to see then end of MCs, and to that I will add assassins and mafiosi. I guess just don't understand the romantic appeal of violent career criminals, silly me.
I am really into fantasy romance right now; CL Wilson’s The Winter King ,Grace Draven’s Radiance, and Ginn Hale’s Champion of the Scarlet Wolf are recent reads. I don’t read nearly as much historical romance as I once did. I still read contemporaries, especially M/M, but I only get N/A if its comes recommended.
@Ros: “What I would most like to see is the demise of series and serials. It seems like it’s virtually impossible to find single title standalone novels now. I find the experience of reading serials which focus on a single couple particularly unsatisfying, even if there is a resolution at the end of each book. With series, I don’t mind them sometimes, but I just don’t want every book I read to come with three or four others in its wake. ”
This!
My reading habits are very similar. I moved away from historical years ago. I assumed it was because of maturing taste and my desire to read about women I could more relate to. (I’m getting older after all…) But then again, back in the day, a lot of contemporary romances were mysteries/thriller or women’s fic (with loads of family drama). These days you can find plenty of straight up romance guy meets girl stuff. And I find Contemporary Romance tends to have more mature characters who aren’t virginal.
I’m 100% digital in my leisure reading. 90% audio. Whispersync was the best thing that happened to books since the invention of the paperback. Why would I buy a paper book when I can get an ebook AND audio add-on for less than the price of a paperback. Furthermore, I don’t generally reread many books, so I was constantly hauling off books to goodwill. Ebooks are great for keeping down the clutter. Besides, when its two a.m. and I finish book three in a series and really want book four…All I have to do is hit one-click buy.
So I just did a quick check and there are 184 books in my TBR pile right now! With this absurd amount of backup I am especially picky about any new purchases. If only I would stay off of websites such as these I bet I could catch up faster but with less fun. I’m just afraid I’ll miss something really good. Like most others my historical reading has dropped drastically (Why?) and I read more SF and UF. Lately I’ve been on a M/M binge that’s been incredible. Thank goodness for digital or I never would have found “The Last Hour of Gann” or Captive Prince. Price still determines my purchases since I have so much available on backlog. I keep hearing so much about Audible but don’t want to get sucked in because quite frankly I read faster than they can speak. Since I don’t have any car commute I feel like the book pile would jam up even more. I am totally over the New Adult angsty genre and the Paranormal has also dropped off my map pretty significantly. There seems to be an abundance of Contemporary books flooding the digital space which may be a case of “write what you know” or an aversion to research. On the plus side the Sci-Fi/Urban romance seems to have added a lot and shows some very gifted imaginations.
@library addict: Yes, I’m all “How can agency pricing come back, when it never went away?”
What I’d most like to see is more novels with strong romantic elements. I enjoy reading outside the genre but still getting that romance satisfaction.
@Ros: I have mixed feelings with series, particularly when it is comes to romances. I like when authors set different romances within the same unique world. However I dislike cliff-hangers and the feeling that you have to read the next book to see the the couple reach some sort of HEA.
I read pretty much exclusively digital. When I pick up a print book to read it seems foreign to me now. I’m always wishing I could increase the size of the font! Print books I read are library books, ones from used book stores or gifts. Everything else is on my kindle and I buy only through Amazon.
This last year I read A LOT of self pub, or digital first publishers. Rarely do I read trad published books. I just like the edgier stuff I guess. And believe me, you can find self pub and digital first with writing so excellent it takes your breath away. Trad doesn’t have the corner on this anymore. Most of the trad pub books seem derivative. To me the Big NY publishers are chasing the trend set by others in romance, not leading it. KJ Charles is a good example.
I’m reading Historicals again, which is good. I used to read every Hist I could get my hands on, then I’d read out the possible plot devices/settings and grew bored and stopped reading them. But lately there are m/m historicals, PoC historicals, different settings, non nobles- I’m excited again!
I haven’t read much Harlequin this last year, which is sad. I love them. But I ended up reading their competition- self pubbed category and Entangled. Sorry Harlequin. :(
I’d like to see Westerns that aren’t sweet, but instead are erotic romance. In fact I’d like to see erotic romance include many new settings. We’ve played out the Billionaire, BDSM, contemporary setting (don’t get me wrong, I’m still eating those up! But I can forsee this hitting a wall).
My eyes don’t light up when I see a prn anymore. There needs to be something else there to pull me in- a rec from someone I trust, a menage (LOL), something! I’ve heard ppl say before that prn needs to go in new directions (Hapax?). So true.
I want lots more Sci fi rom and erotic Historical Westerns with a meaty plot (not contemporary Wyoming cowboys and ranchers- that’s played out already).
I think MC Club romance is at its peak and will go down from here. In the same way Navy Seals are played out. I often wonder what the next trend will be? What type of Alpha will we go crazy over next? Hmm….
I’m always impressed when people report on their huge TBR piles, whether real or digital. I’ve been trying to save a few books for an upcoming trip involving some long and boring flights and am currently up to six. This may be a record.
My book purchases are exclusively digital, but when I use the library I get books in print at least as often.
Re. genres, I think I’m reading a bit more diversely than I used to in genres including historical romance, paranormal, YA, fantasy, urban fantasy, science fiction, and NA (I recently went on a Sarina Bowen kick; it was fun). This past year I even dabbled a little bit with literary fiction, contemporary romance and romantic suspense, though none of those are favorite genres.
Even though I read a lot of good historicals this year, I think the problem the genre faces is that the fresh feeling books are harder to find. Unless you already know you like Cecilia Grant, Jeannie Lin, Rose Lerner or fill in the blank, how are you going to find those books? If I didn’t already know of these authors I wouldn’t be reading much in this genre because so many of the books are playing it safe.
@Rose: Six?! I wish my TBR was so small. I get sucked in every time ARe runs a 1/2 price sale.
Also, serials and I do not play nice. I want a beginning, middle, and end to my stories. I have bought a couple of Kindle serials, but never download or load them to my reader until they are complete.
I read almost exclusively digital, except the occasional print gift or library book.
I don’t know if self pub has impacted my reading because I don’t pay much attention to publishers when I purchase – I do pay attention to things like price and format and DRM. And whether or not I can get it at ARe and get bonus bucks.
Going digital has impacted my reading much more. Before I had an ereader I mostly read what I bought, at least for fiction. And now I have at least 200 ebooks in my TBR folder. I’ve gotten more conscious about buying what I intend to read, but I’ll still sometimes pick up something new and shiney on sale.
My reading tastes ebb and flow. I’m still reading a lot of mm romance, reading a little more ff, a little more NA (mm and mf), and misc sff with romantic subplots.
@Lisa J: I’m selective, which probably goes back to when I had to buy print copies from Amazon and pay $15 plus shipping per book. I will take a risk on a cheap book, but only if it sounds appealing. It’s not an automatic thing.
Also, ARe won’t sell me books. Apparently they’ve decided I should be geo-blocked (and yes, it’s them and not the publishers – I can get the same books from other places).
I’m currently reading books that came out in 2012; that’s how big my TBR pile is. Sometimes I make exceptions if someone gives me a book, but otherwise, when I buy a new book, it goes on The List, which exists to keep me honest and read the books I bought earlier before I read the more recent ones. Sequels get put on the list where the previous entries in the series are, though.
Romance (historicals and contemporaries) and fantasy are still the bulk of what I read. I’d love to read more historical fiction, but somehow I have a hard time finding historical fiction I actually want to read. Also I read a lot of non-fiction, which my brain tallies separately.
I wish there were more different stories being told. More diversity in settings, and characters, and tropes. I’d love to read more historicals that were not set in nineteenth-century England, but I’d also love to read more historicals in the nineteenth-century UK that feature different sorts of people — lower-class people, people of colour, people from different parts of the UK, immigrants, religious minorities, outcasts, servants, &c. There are a lot of possible stories in that setting that just aren’t being told.
Also, the more I read these books set in the ton, the more I want to read stories about the women who always get rejected by the heroes as disposable garbage. They’re always so unhappy, and I wish there were stories where they got to have HEAs too. Probably will never happen, though.
@Anonymous: I’m sure I have read one or two such heroines but unfortunately no titles are popping up in my memory.
@Rose: I’m the same way. I buy a book at a time and read. No TBR list for me.
Non-fiction is another story.
My TBR pile numbers in the 520+ range, so this year it is all about reading from what I already own. Most of that (at least 85%) is digital. In my defense, I have been in college for the last couple of years; I graduate in May and hope to have even more time to devote to reading.
My genre preferences haven’t changed much other than reading more inspirational historical romances. Those books are set outside the high society of London in the 19th century, so that is the main draw for me. I am not religious in any way, but if the preaching is kept to the bare minimum, I am game to read. I still love secular historical romances, especially Harlequin’s line. I started to read more women’s fiction, since older romance writers are going that way. I have also developed a taste for cozy mysteries, since they provide both plot and a contemporary romance that I can root for.
I keep having an awful time finding contemporary romances I like. There is too much sex (awfully written) and not enough character development or plot. I hate small towns because I grew up in one and that was reason enough to join the military when I graduated high school. I am not interested in erotica, m/m or NA or YA, so most new books released/reviewed are of little interest to me. After studying the history of motorcycle gangs and how they operate for one of my classes, I will never pick up a MC romance. MMA and military theme books don’t interest me either.
Even though I don’t like a lot of what is popular, I don’t want to see an end to any theme/category because there are readers out there who want to read those books. I could never dictate my personal preferences on a fellow reader.
I read exclusively digitally or in audio formats. The only time I buy a physical book is if I’m getting it signed. My bookshelves are all full but I rarely read them anymore because my kindle is just the right format for me. I live in a small area as well with the physical library having not great selections and no bookstores for about an hour. I’m so happy I discovered audible 2 years ago because I listen to so many books both from there and from my library.
I have 97 books on my kindle waiting to be read with 5 pages of wish list ebooks on AMZ and 6 more wish list ebooks at my library. I have arbitrary limits I try to place on each collection I have – such as I won’t have more than 4 pages of TBR in my romance collection on the kindle. Which really means nothing but makes me read some sooner rather than later.
My buying has changed drastically – I don’t buy books just because they’re free or cheap anymore. If it’s a new author to me I prefer to hear about it on one of the review blogs or from recs I get from people who know what I like.
What I’ve been reading is a little of everything. I enjoy m/m but I have a hard time finding books I really enjoy in that genre so I don’t read as much as I’d like. I read a lot of older historical romances this year, Mary Balogh type books.
I do really like YA/NA if they’re done right. I read too many that were awful so now I need a rec for those too. I am still reading a lot of paranormal – Thea Harrison, Nalini Singh, Chloe Neill, Jenn Bennett being my favorites this past year.
I’m really over billionaires and I don’t get the serial format that is becoming popular.
I would love more diversity in terms of just about everything. When I find books with that in them I glom onto them and rec them everywhere.
I’ve pretty much gone all digital on my romance reading. I don’t remember which paperback romance was my last purchase. I had started out with digital books thinking “OK. I’ll buy mostly eBooks. But I’ll still buy my go to authors in regular print format. After all, I have all those books on my keeper shelves.” It didn’t happen. As a matter of fact, I’ve been purchasing the back list of several authors so that I’ll always have those books available on my tablet. Most recently, all J.D. Robb books currently live on my tablet.
My TBR pile is huge. There is no other way to describe it. I still have a print book TBR pile started before my conversion to digital publishing as well as a eBook TBR pile. I will never see the end of either pile unless selling books is suddenly made illegal or my Wi-fi suddenly ceases to work. Even then, I’ll probably find a coffee shop somewhere that has free Wi-fi and park it there as I browse and shop for new books.
I don’t think my reading habits have changed appreciably as far as genres or new/established/favorite authors are concerned. I haven’t really gone for a lot of Indie/self published books unless I read a review from lists/reviewers I trust or from a friend. Sometimes I buy more heavily in historicals, some times in contemporary and then the next month will be paranormal/urban/fantasy/sci-fi.
I’ve still been buying physical books when it comes to technical books (I’m in the medical field) and more esoteric reading. My most recent purchase was ‘The Jesuit Guide to {almost} Everything: A Spirituality for Real Life’. But I’m starting to consider getting some of the medical texts in eBook format….more of these are starting to appear in eBook formats.
I’m 100% digital in pleasure reading now. Still reading a ton of historicals but I’ve been reading more contemps and erotica, too. I started grad school in the fall and made the decision to get as many textbooks as I can in digital. It has gone well, which kind of surprised me. I use my iPad for everything but paper writing. I take notes right on to PowerPoint slides with a Bluetooth keyboard, and read PDFs in an app called Notability that lets me highlight with my finger right on the page.
Partly because of school and partly because of my addiction to deals, my TBR is, shall we say, heroic. I’m cutting way down on my impulse buys.
I am all digital for fiction now. I do not have room in my house for more paper books.
If it is a nonfiction for work, it’s 50/50 digital vs. paper.
I too have been reading far less historical. I rely far more on reviews or tried-and-true authors. I still don’t really get into suspense, nor NA. Paranormal ebbs and flows.
Contemporary is really taking the place of those much of the time. Remember the push for more contemporaries? It’s working with me. There are still a few too many first person narratives, and I will be happy when the MC and rocker chicks pass away.
But I am a feminist who loves her über alpha heroes, so I hope those keep coming.
I’m not 100% digital, but it’s pretty close. I’d say all my fiction is digital now. The majority of my non-fiction (history, crafts, cooking, reference, etc.) is also predominantly digital, a big switch for me. For starters, I simply have no more room for physical books. I’m purging my physical books, even the ones I haven’t read. Plus, ebooks are just so much easier to read, access, and buy.
I tend to read things in waves. I’ll go on kicks where I’ll exclusively read SF, historical mysteries, dystopians, m/m, whatever. I’ve been going thru a rough patch so I’ve recently been reading lots of older HPs as comfort reads. I still prefer historicals over contemporaries, but agree that the luster is off some of my old standby authors, and most of the new ones just aren’t cutting it for me.
I used to barely bat an eyelash over BDSM, rough sex, etc. The raunchier the better. But my tolerance level has really nosedived of late. And I intensely dislike MC, MMA, SEALS, private security, and most sports-themed books. I don’t like the testosterone-laden uber-alphas (with the exception being PNRs, to some extent).
Self-pubbed books are a mixed bag, but I’ll cautiously take a chance, especially if the price is good/reasonable. I’ve read some real stinkers, but I’ve also struck gold on occasion.
My TBR pile? It’s truly shocking.
I buy all digital now, due to lack of shelf space. My TBR pile is “higher” than it used to be, but mainly because I have access to so many free books I wouldn’t have purchased anyway. Having quick access to so many new authors also means that authors I used to read immediately after purchase end up on the the TBR pile more often.
Now that there are more sub-genres of romance I read less historicals, but there were very few historical romance authors I enjoyed anyway. The BDSM trend needs to slow down, I can’t pick up a romance book without finding some bondage anymore! I used to enjoy several favorite authors who featured doms before the craze started, but now they’re everywhere! Also, where are the female dom romances? I like alpha heroes and all, but it’s all getting ridiculous.
I try to avoid serials unless they are urban fantasy, & I dislike cliffhangers. I’m also very careful to avoid NA if there is going to be cheating involved. I will never get tired of paranormal, urban fantasy or steampunk.
Regarding publishing: DRM needs to go, and agency pricing will never be a good thing for readers.
My TBR is huge. I don’t mind it because I like to think I’ll never be out of books. But the prices…I need to stop buying as much books because of that. It seems logical that prices should go down because then more people would buy them, but… I need to spend less in books, I’m not rich.
However, my tastes are eclectic and I like to read mixed genres, but I always try to find romances included.
Liking so many genres and falling for so many blurbs each month, being faithful to some authors ( not that many but still a few), wanting to read so many things right away, all this isn’t compatible to the prices nowadays. I don’t buy hardcovers except for two series. I try to pre order things because usually prices increase after that. I buy a whole lot more of used books than in previous years since amazon bought BookDepository.
I know nothing will ever be ideal for everyone, but it’s hard to keep this vice when prices change so much all the time. I used to buy 15 to 20 books a month three years ago and the prices wouldn’t be that hard to match. But this year I told myself I’ll only buy 5 a month, depending on prices! And new books, only two or three authors or some gift I might want to offer. It’s just not as doable anymore.
I still buy 50:50 and prefer non-fiction in hard copy, and wherever the used hard copy including postage is cheaper than the ebook I will buy the printed book. Still, about 50% of the books I read are ebooks, bought or loaned.
What I did not and probably never will start doing, is listening to audio books. I really dislike this format when the narrator “acts” the various characters and actions. For one thing I often am quite unable to understand them properly at the pace most of these narrators narrate, for another I often have trouble imagining what takes place, or rather the words and the “acting” of the narrator don’t align for me. I’m always half a page behind in understanding what happens, which makes for a pretty negative experience of becoming quite stressed.
If there were audiobooks simply read aloud without acting or aping accents and timbres at a more leisurely pace, things might be different. But I haven’t found any such yet. So, audiobooks are lost to me, and it’s a pity that my library carries a lot of titles only as audiobooks.
@Drano: How many audiobooks have you listened to? (ie. have you ‘learned’ to listen to them in a way similar to when you learned to read books?)
Because that was necessary, for me. I tried audiobooks a decade or so ago and couldn’t stand them. I couldn’t pay attention, I couldn’t follow the story, and the voices annoyed the hell out of me.
But then I was transferred at work and had a really long commute (driving, not public transit, so I couldn’t read) and tried the audiobooks again. It took a while, and it really did feel like I was learning a skill, getting better at ‘reading’ a book that way, but now I love them.
This might be more trouble than you’re interested in (I wouldn’t have done it without the commute incentive), but if you want to give it a try – I started with a lot of fairly light non-fiction, narrated by the authors. Jon Ronson, celebrity autobiographies, humour by comedians I was familiar with – that sort of thing. When I tried fiction, I started with YA.
I think the narrator is always going to have the power to make or break an audiobook, but for the rest of it? I learned to be a better audio-book-consumer, and it’s made my commutes a hell of a lot less painful!