Authors and Apps

By Susan Reichert, Editor-in-Chief, Southern Writers Magazine

The research done by Pew says 58% of adult Americans have a smartphone and 42% of them have tablet computers. http://www.pewinternet.org/data-trend/mobile/device-ownership/ 

Pew Research Center is a nonpartisan fact tank that informs the public about the issues, attitudes and trends shaping America and the world. It conducts public opinion polling, demographic research, media content analysis and other empirical social science research. Pew Research does not take policy positions.  See their website for more information: http://www.pewresearch.org/about/

People are using their smartphones while walking, stuck in traffic, shopping–just about anywhere they are while the tablets they use at home, sitting in a coffee shop, their office. We have two users, even though they own both.

So as an author, how does this affect you? If you have developed an app to market yourself and your books, know that people using the phones are detail conscious and pay attention to the app, as to what is on it. This has to interest them enough to drive them to your website. To buy your book.

And I must tell you, remember the cliché “Try before you buy” that is very important that you have a sample on your app. People want to see a few pages…so pick pages that will be cliffhangers. That is what will get them to buy the book so they can find out what happened?

Good luck with your apps.