Glossary
Read-through
Also called series read-through
Read-through is the share of readers who finish one book and go on to read the next, whether they bought it, borrowed it or read it in a subscription.
What it means
Read-through and sell-through are close cousins. Sell-through counts sales. Read-through counts reading, which matters in subscriptions like Kindle Unlimited where readers borrow instead of buy. Authors often estimate it from pages read on book two compared with book one.
A romance author in Kindle Unlimited might see that most of book one’s readers start book two, but fewer reach book three, and fix the ending of book two. A nonfiction author with a series of short guides might look at whether readers move from the first guide to the second. An audiobook listener counts too: a narrator who keeps listeners hooked can lift read-through.
Why it matters when you sell direct
Good read-through means each new reader is worth more than one sale. That is why authors spend on ads for book one, or give it away as a reader magnet. When readers read on, they buy on, and on your own store you keep more of each of those sales.
Clear reading order, a strong preview of the next book in your back matter, and a link straight to it all help readers move on.
How Lanternbee handles it
Lanternbee cannot see reading, only sales. It shows what readers bought, by title, format and day. Series pages show your books in reading order, a series follow-up email can point buyers to the next book, and bundles charge readers less for books they already own.