In the summer of 2024, 158 avid nonfiction readers responded to a short survey about their reading habits. And their responses offer insights for nonfiction writers and readers alike.
(If you want to add your two cents, the survey will remain open.)
The data below reflects the results as of November 1, 2024. Pie charts indicate questions for which respondents could choose only one option. For questions represented by bar charts, they could choose all of the options that applied.
Who are these nonfiction readers?
People who took this survey self-identified as nonfiction readers. Of course, this is not a scientific sample; the respondents mostly came from my own connections. For more than half of the respondents, nonfiction represented 60% or more of their reading. These are true nonfiction fans.
Nearly a quarter of the respondents pick up a nonfiction book every day:
And, nearly half wanted to read more nonfiction!
A quick question about book clubs reveals that most focus on fiction. Less than a quarter were members of book clubs:
Key take-aways for nonfiction authors:
What, and how, participants read nonfiction
Reports of the death of print books are greatly exaggerated.
Print topped the list of preferred media for reading nonfiction. Most people seem to consume nonfiction across different media.
While fiction readers may focus on one or two genres, nonfiction readers tend to range more widely. Their reading interests were varied, with memoir, biography, history, and self-help/personal development leading the pack.
How nonfiction readers choose books
In describing how they found the books they wanted to read, most relied heavily on book reviews or recommendations. Friends and family recommendations slightly outperformed recommendations from influencers and people they follow.
But they are even more likely to buy books by authors that they already like. (This would argue for authors spending more time engaging with their reader communities!) And, of course, browsing remains a popular way to discover new books to read.
Reading motivation and preferences
Why do we read nonfiction? I asked that of the survey respondents. Of course, we have multiple motivations.
For the survey respondents, adding to personal knowledge led the pack. While we read for enjoyment, nonfiction also has a more practical bent—learning, keeping current, and solving problems.
Another question asked people to rate what was most important to them in their nonfiction reading, with separate questions for articles/blog post and books. Clearly, format matters.
When reading articles or blog posts, these readers cherish conciseness and clarity. In books, we value depth of detail and research, and compelling narrative more. And when looking simply for beautiful prose, they were more likely to seek that out in a book.
Do you ever abandon books partway through? (Of course, we all do!)
Books require a greater commitment of time and mental energy than blog posts. So, what keeps readers going? Writing, relevance, and the information within. (A small number still feel guilty about quitting when a book isn’t working for them.)
Get the complete list of recommendations
Survey respondents could provide specific book recommendations as answers to the following two questions:
- Has a nonfiction book ever changed your perspective on a topic or your life in a significant way? If yes, what was the book and how did it change you?
- Optional: Share up to three of your favorite nonfiction books
The responses are a treasure trove of book recommendations—too many to list here. If you’d like to see the entire list, use the form below to request it.
