Just had my sales figures for the first 4 months of Karoo Plainsong's life. It makes interesting reading, because it tells me who is selling the most books - and therefore where my readers are actually located.
Given all my launches and recent Waterstones signings, it's no surprise that the bulk of my readership is in the UK. But, intriguingly, there is a growing band of readers buying the book in the USA, where it is printed "on demand" whenever an order is received from a US bookshop or online retailer. Hooray! The book has successfully crossed the pond! Keep it up, please!
What I can't see is the number of readers further afield e.g. in SA or Australia, who have ordered the book online for delivery worldwide. I know you're out there, though, particularly in South Africa, to where my publisher, Troubador, is increasingly shipping. These "home" orders are really special for me, please keep them coming!
I've also seen a spurt in e-Book sales. The growing popularity of Kindles and iPads and other e-readers is taking booksales to another level. While I prefer to have a book in my hand and to feel each page as I read, there's no doubt that more and more people are taking to e-readers, especially when they travel. I have read Karoo Plainsong on an iPad, and after being initially disconcerted by how quickly it downloaded - all my work in only 30 secs! - I soon found it easy to use and so convenient. It also means that wherever you are, you're only a few seconds away from reading that book you've been meaning to buy for so long...
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