Wednesday, April 1, 2015

Writer Wednesday: Barnes and Noble vs. Amazon

Lately I've been wondering what drives people to Barnes and Noble as opposed to Amazon or vice versa. They both have books in paperback and ebook formats, so what prompts someone to pick one over the other?

I'm an Amazon girl, but oddly enough I used to purchase all my books through Barnes and Noble. I don't know why I changed. It sort of happened one day without me knowing it. But let me share something with you from an author's perspective—something that has me admittedly perplexed.

I released an Ashelyn Drake title (Looking For Love) this month. It's a new adult romance, and I mention the genre for a reason. I've heard (not that I know if this is true or not) that romance sells better on B&N than Amazon. Well, for this book, that's true. My B&N ranking continues to get better every day, while my Amazon ranking is going in the opposite direction. Checking my sales numbers, I see a drastic different between the two sites. Now here's why I'm baffled. I don't use the B&N link to promote. I always use the Amazon link. Sure I have the B&N link on my website, but I don't actively promote it.

That's not the only reason I'm confused. You see the other Campus Crush novellas, before they were packaged as one book—Campus Crush, all sold better on Amazon. Hmm… So what is making this book different? I have a clue!

So I'm asking you all, which site do you gravitate toward—Amazon or B&N—and why?

28 comments:

  1. Amazon but only because I know nothing about Barnes and Noble (which is probably my bad).

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    1. I used to love Barnes and Noble. But now I go to Books-A-Million or Amazon. I just don't know why. Lol

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  2. I'm an Amazon girl. Love the Prime free shipping. Interesting about your new novel, Kelly. The good news is it's selling, right?

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    1. Yes, I can't complain about sales, even if I can't explain them. lol

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  3. I use both. We have a B&N nearby, so for hardcover or paperback I go there. I also have a Nook to read ebooks. But I have a prime account and order just as many books from Amazon. For my books, there hasn't been any difference in sales. Hmm. Perplexing is right.

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    1. I guess my rational mind needs to except that not everything can be rationalized.

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  4. I gravitate more towards Amazon if I am buying online- but I have a Barnes and Noble not far from my house and I buy a lot of books in print there.

    I wonder if different age groups use one more over another? Are they the same price on both? Maybe there are more print copies being sold and that is why B and N? Hmmm. Interesting for sure!
    ~Jess

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    1. Yes, same price on both. I'm baffled as to how book one sells better on Amazon while book two sells better on B&N. That makes no sense whatsoever to me. lol

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  5. Amazon for me, definitely. I don't even know if Barnes and Noble operates north of the border.

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    1. Oh, that's a great point, William. I don't know either.

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  6. Hmm, I need to look into BN. I used to shop in the physical stores, but online I prefer Amazon

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  7. Barnes & Noble is always my first choice, since I've been a loyal member since middle school. But if a book is only available on Amazon, I will purchase through them.

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    1. I think Amazon hooked me when they used to run their specials where if you buy three books you got the fourth free. I always took advantage of those. They don't do them anymore though.

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  8. Hi Kelly, I tend toward Amazon. One of the reasons is I began ordering books from them long before I was an author myself. Then when I published my book I chose Amazon because at the time there was more how to info on loading your books and starting an author page. Now, I'm on B & N as well. Not sure my sales are nearly as solid there. I haven't promoted it as much but struggle to get reviews up there. It's a conundrum. I guess I didn't really answer your question. It's a mystery to me too.

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    1. You bring up a great point, Lisa. B&N doesn't get as many reviews. So I'm actually more confused that my books sell better on a site where there a fewer reviews. Lol I'm stumped.

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  9. There isn't a B&N over here in Singapore, and really, most people (for those who read) prefer borrowing from the library. Some might buy from Amazon. I do buy ebooks from Amazon. Perhaps B&N does a good job promoting the NA and YA books.

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    1. Amazon does seem to have a bigger reach as far as extending to more countries than B&N.

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  10. I didn't promote on either site but Amazon out sold B&N many times over. When my publisher quit and I went self-pub, I decided Amazon was the only route for me. At least for now. *g*

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    1. I'm glad I didn't go Amazon exclusively because I'd be missing out on about 90% of my sales, which are coming through B&N. I just can't figure out why. lol

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  11. I'm an amazon gal. It's fast, easy and I've never had any trouble with it. However, I still prefer going to a B&N physical book store. I never get on their website though.

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    1. I only go to B&N's website to check my rankings. lol

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  12. My online shopping is easier with Amazon, but I still love small brick and mortar best...

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  13. I'm Amazon. The Barnes and Noble site it terrible. Amazon's search is better. I didn't even know B&N had ratings. My novel's sold there as print and nook but I only pay attention to my book on Amazon.

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    1. I used to be the same way, but with my self published books I started watching more closely and saw B&N is where most of my sales are coming from.

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  14. I have Amazon Prime (free 2-day shipping) and a Kindle, so I get most of my books through Amazon. When I was a teacher, I would sometimes get gift cards for B&N, and that is mostly the only time I use them online.

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    1. I have a Kindle too, so that's why my ebooks are through Amazon. I used yo always buy paperbacks through B&N until recently.

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