African-Americans spent an estimated $356 million on consumer books in 2000, up from $310 million in 1999, according to findings in "The African-American Book Buyers Study," which was conducted by Target Market News and published by the Book Industry Study Group. Spending through retail outlets reached $297 million last year, with sales through book clubs reported at $53 million. Approximately $7 million was spent on reference materials.
Books that reflect an African-American perspective were the most popular types of books, with 67% of respondents replying that they enjoy reading anything by black authors, and 53% said they like books that deal with black issues. Essence magazine was the most influential vehicle for reaching African-American book buyers, with 72% of respondents reporting that they read reviews in that publication, while 25% read reviews in the New York Times. Essence's bestseller lists were checked by 43% of African-American readers and the Blackboard bestseller list was used by 18% of respondents.
The overwhelming number of readers who took part in the study, 71%, were women, with more than 50% of respondents between the ages of 18 and 35. Readers also tended to have higher incomes than the $24,000 median earning level for African-American households.
The study was based on responses from 373 African-American book buyers in eight major American cities. Ken Smikle, president of Target Market News, said that while he would have liked to have had a larger sample he was "happy with the consistency of the responses. I think we've established a baseline which future studies can be measured against."
