If you found yourself reading more frequently after you bought an ereader device, you weren’t alone. People who own ereader devices read crazy high amounts of books each week, according to a new study by the business consulting firm L.E.K. It appears the idea that reading is a dying activity is, as ever, a fallacy. At least for ereader owners.

The average time spent reading in the U.S. is 7.1 hours a week, says L.E.K. Ereader owners, however, average nearly 2 1/2 times that at 18.2 hours per week. Over a third of those extra books are considered “incremental,” meaning they wouldn’t have been read otherwise.

The study compares media consumption across all content channels, including TV (still the king), movies, music, and Internet. But the big news of the study is just how voracious ereader owners seem to be. Why? It seems to come down to these three benefits:

• Affordability – Ebooks are cheaper than printed books, and most people are on restricted budgets in this economy. One of the big media/marketing angles when the Kindle launched was that it would save the owner money over time. Although that may not be exactly accurate, the current ecosystem for ebooks lets a consumer spend less per book. You can stretch your book budget with an ereader.
   
• Discovery – L.E.K. is guessing at this one, based largely on the fact that many respondents said they felt there was a better selection of ebooks compared to other retail channels. I agree with L.E.K. that what they’re probably describing is the ability for ebook retailers to customize their inventory pages based on your past purchases and likes. I’d probably buy more books at a bookstore if there were a shelf up at the front that had titles hand-picked to appeal to my interests.
   
• Accessibility – If I’m using a Kindle or an iPhone or iPod Touch, I can finish a book at three in the morning and immediately purchase the next in the series, without leaving my bed or sofa. Hell, it’s even easier than ordering a movie through my Xbox or cable box. Here’s a real world example: two weeks ago, I was reading a preview on the subway on my way to a meeting, and I bought the book as I came up to street level and was walking down the sidewalk. It was a real purchase for the publisher, but practically an afterthought for me as far as fitting “shopping” into that day’s busy schedule.
   

“Hidden Opportunities” [L.E.K. Consulting via MobileRead]

(Photo: unfoldedorigami)