What we say in surveys

If publishers paid attention to a Daily Telegraph survey of reading last weekend, they might save themselves a lot of money. When asked, "How did you choose the last book you read?", respondents—there were 3,200 of them—said that familiarity with the author's previous work was the most influential factor. After that came recommendations by friends or family, shortly ahead of browsing in a bookshop. Publishers' advertisements scored 0%.

The survey also asked readers how they made their choices once they were browsing in shops. The majority of respondents, 53%, said that plot synopses had the greatest influence on their selections. Instore advertising scored 2%.

This is marvellous news. Publishers may spend substantial five-figure sums on co-operative promotions with booksellers. They spend six-figure sums on advertising their lead titles in the press, in the broadcast media and on outdoor sites. According to the survey, they could save all that money, and just make sure they write better blurbs.

However, they are unlikely to adopt such a radical approach. There are strong political pressures on them to spend money on advertising. Booksellers demand co-operative funding not only to improve their tight margins but also to help increase their market shares on lead titles; and publishers have to keep booksellers happy. They have to keep authors and agents happy too; and prominent advertising is a public show of commitment to an author's work. What is more, there is plenty of evidence that advertising is effective.

Participants in surveys tend to give aspirational answers. People are reluctant to admit that they are swayed by advertising, because they like to think that they have the sophistication to resist such approaches. Further evidence that the Telegraph's respondents behaved in this way comes from their answers to, "Which of the following gives you most pleasure: books, newspapers/magazines, films, television?" Forty per cent chose books, while only 28% chose television. To which one might reply, on the evidence of previous surveys, "Why, then, do you spend more time watching television than you do reading books?"

Finding new readers is one of the most urgent tasks facing the book industry. To do that, we need to know why people do not read. Market research would be helpful. But the research would have to be carried out by an organisation that knew how to compensate for the self-aggrandising tendency.