Genre fiction and e-reader popularity

Here’s something that anyone involved in independent publishing is sure to be interested in – an article looking at whether genre fiction is better suited to e-readers than literary fiction. The article references a blog post by author David Hewson, and it offers some interesting food for thought.

It suggests that when people are using their e-readers on their commute, they tend to be after a quicker, easier read – the sort that much genre fiction can often provide in a way that more literary fiction might not.

Genre fiction tends to do well in the e-book charts, and with so many independent publishers also writing genre fiction and e-publishing their work, it suggests that the theory might be onto something. Of course, it isn’t scientific, and there are plenty of other factors that affect e-book sales (quality, price, reviews, author and so on), but it’s still an interesting point of view into the e-reading boom.

What do you think? Do you think genre fiction is better suited to e-readers than other fiction, or do you think e-readers work well with any type of book?