there is a story behind every book

Secondary Performance Indicators for Reader Engagement

Beyond the Key KPIs calculated by Jellybooks, there is also a range of secondary performance parameters we calculate and this list continues to expand:

First versus Second Choice

Test readers have a choice of two titles in multi-title tests where a selection of two or more books is being offered. Observing which book is started (and finished) first gives a an interesting insight into which titles are “second” or “take-a-chance” choices.

Velocity

This parameter looks at the length of time from somebody starting a book until they finish it with all the pauses, interruptions and distractions of daily life. This is the gross reading time, not the reading time. It complements the completion rate in terms of measuring how strong a book’s spell is over the reader.

Unlike other parameters, this one is strongly genre specific. Romance novels are very fast reads taking typically just a few days, while biographies are very slow reads that can take weeks to complete. When it comes to literary fiction a high velocity indicates a string performing titles, while a slow velocity indicates a book that readers struggle with. Maybe the plot is weak or the language is just too literary making it less “entertainment” and more “cultural tour de force”.

Snack or Immersive

Here we look at the average length of reading sessions taking into account the short breaks we make naturally. The goal is to identify titles that are more in tune with readers who commute to work or read books during work breaks, as opposed to reads we immersive ourselves during evenings and especially during weekends.

Weekend Versus Weekday Read

Here we have a more detailed look as to whether a book is week-end read that command sour undivided attention – many literary novels fall into this category or a more in-and-out evening read like many crime and thriller novels are. Most interesting are always the book that deviate from the norm. It is here where we dig deeper: what makes this title unique? Why is it different? What does this mean for reader engagement?


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