eBooks Statistics – By Country, Demographic, Market Share, Platform and Genre

Introduction

eBooks Statistics: Reading a book and sipping a coffee on rainy days isn’t what readers do. Books are the most important part of the reader's life. Adding to these cozy feelings, ebooks are becoming popular and have captured almost 20% of the market globally. E-books provide easy and immediate access to the book and are also a source of passive income for many newly self-published book authors.

These eBook Statistics are written from a global perspective, which will give you an idea of the overall eBook market in 2022 and 2023.

Editor’s Choice

• As of 2022, the United States of America's favorite e-book provider is Amazon.
• Every year, during the holiday season, the number of Kindle or tablet owners increases.
• On average, ebooks have less sales percentage than paperbacks, comparing 1 to 4.
• In the United States of America, 28% of readers said they read books in print as well as ebooks format.
• As of today, more than 6 million digital books are available on Amazon Kindle whereas, globally 7,500 books are published every day.
• The global eBooks market expects that the total number of readers will reach 1.12 billion readers by 2027.
• On average, women (56%) are more likely to be avid book readers than men (42%).
• 72% of the bookworms in America read digital books on Amazon Kindle.
• In the global comparison of the eBook market, the most revenue is expected to generate in the United States of America in 2023 resulting in $5,252 million.
• In the United States of America, eBooks Statistics projects that the market volume will be $5.86 billion which will grow at a CAGR of 0.82% by 2027.

What Are eBooks?

An electronic book or e-book or digital book is a book published in digital format on the internet. Such types of books are available in all genres and these are readable on laptops, smartphones, tablets, or Personal computers. Additionally, Amazon launched a reader called Kindle, which is similar to iPad in size but you can purchase and read books. Other iPad- like features are not applicable to the Kindle. There are various platforms on the internet today where you can publish your books easily and earn a passive income. These ebooks are globally available and downloadable at pocket-friendly prices.

Features of eBooks

• Authoring an eBook can provide you with a monthly passive income.
• Allows external links.
• Animated illustration features in the book.
• Keyword-enabled book description.
• Available for easy download.
• ePub format support is available.
• Only a 10 minutes process to publish an ebook on Amazon.

Benefits of Digital Books

• Digital books are available on any device, you are not always required to carry your Kindle.
• Once purchased, ebooks are synced automatically on every owned device.
• Books require no physical space to store.
• They do not tamper with dust like paperback books.
• Kindle Books are budget-friendly.
• Ebooks have animations.
• Digital books are Read aloud.
• You can read books anywhere and at any time.
• Kindle has an inbuilt dictionary.
• eBooks save the environment by avoiding the process to cut down trees.
• You can download thousands of digital books on your device.
• It requires no WIFI or internet connection to read a book.

How To Publish An eBook On Kindle?

• Once you have written a book, make sure it is in ePub format.
• Go to https://kdp.amazon.com/en_US/, then Click on a bookshelf, then click +Create, then choose the type of book you want to publish.
• You can enter details such as categories, Book titles, editions, authors and contributors, book descriptions, keywords, and eligibility requirements for eBooks.
• Then upload your cover photo along with ISBN (if applicable).
• As a final step, set pricing for the products and rights and click on publish.
• Once the Amazon verification process completes, your ebook is live all over the world.
• Amazon takes around 24 hours to complete the process.

Top 5 Platforms To Publish An eBook

#1. Amazon

(Source: publishdrive.com)

• Publications are available in 4 formats, ebooks, paperback and hardback, and audiobooks.
• The payout for royalty is 70% for the books priced between $2.99 to $9.99.
• No cost for publications.
• Approved to be live on Amazon within 24 hours.
• You can change the cover and price at any time.
• Available in 13 countries.
• Millions of Kindle users worldwide.
• Keyword book description enabled.
• Access to Goodreads.

#2. Apple iBooks

(Source: publishdrive.com)

• Available in more than 50 countries.
• Royalty payout is 70%.
• Available in ebook format, for audiobooks it is required to meet the requirements of Publishdrive.
• Audiobooks have a 90% approval rate.

#3. Google Play Books

(Source: publishdrive.com)

• Available for publication in audiobooks and Ebooks.
• Available in more than 50 countries with Android users.
• Royalty payout at 70%.

#4. Scribd

(Source: publishdrive.com)

• Available for publication in audiobook and ebook formats.
• Royalty payout depends on the distribution agreements with publishing partners.
• Available all over the globe.

#5. Barnes & Noble

(Source: publishdrive.com)

• Available for publication in audiobook and ebook formats.
• Available in all over the United States of America.
• Royalty payout is 55% for paperbacks and 70% for ebooks.

Top 5 eReading Subscription Providers

#1. Kindle Unlimited

• Can be accessed through any electronic device such as Windows, Web, Android, Mac, and iOS.
• A wide range of ebooks is available at cheaper prices.
• Kindle offers an unlimited subscription library system at $10 every month.
• More than 3 million titles are available in the library.
• Wide range of genres.
• Some of the classic literature is available for free.
• Audiobooks are also available.

#2. Scribd

• Access to top publishing houses such as HarperCollins, Hachette, and Macmillan and many 1000+ publishers.
• Can be accessed through any electronic device such as Windows, Web, Android, Mac, and iOS.
• Free access to AUDM, FarFaria and MUBI.
• Wide range of books with more than 1 million available titles.

#3. 24Symbols

• Priced at less than $9 a month.
• Access to more than 1 million wide range of ebooks.
• You can create your own digital library.

#4. BookMate

• Users can read and access their friend’s bookshelves.
• Wide range of books available.
• User-friendly application.
• More than 12 million titles are available on the platform.

#5. Kobo Plus

• Gives you 30 days free trial.
• Can be accessed through any electronic device such as Windows, Web, Android, Mac, and iOS.
• Has more than 1.3 million titles in the library.

General eBooks Statistics

• As of 2022 in the United States of America, the trade ebook sales revenue was 1 billion.
• Every year, during the holiday season, the number of Kindle or tablet owners increases.
• In the United States of America, 28% of readers said they read books in print as well as ebooks format.
• Moreover, 7% of Americans only read books that are in digital format.
• On average, ebooks have less sales percentage than paperbacks, comparing 1 to 4.
• As of today, more than 6 million digital books are available on Amazon Kindle whereas, globally 7,500 books are published every day.
• As of 2022, the United States of America's favorite e-book provider is Amazon.
• By 2025, the revenue of eMagazine in the United States of America is projected to be 1,755.1 million.
• Digital books priced between $2.99 to $9.99 provide double royalties to publishers.
• As of 2022, around 331 million digital books were borrowed globally.

eBooks Statistics by Market Share

(Reference: goodereader.com)

• As of 2022, Paperback books were the top-selling format of books in the United States of America resulting in 35.7%, followed by hardback books with 35.5%.
• According to eBooks Statistics, digital books contributed to total sales by 11% in the American market.
• Other types of formats purchased were Physical Audio (0.2%), mass market books (2%), other (4.2%), and downloaded audio (9.2%).

eBooks Statistics by Region

Worldwide

• In 2023, eBooks Statistics has projected the revenue to reach $14.21 billion.
• The projected user penetration in 2023 is expected to be 12.8 which is expected to reach $15.39 billion by 2027.
• The average revenue per user is projected at $14.46.
• The global eBooks market expects that the total number of readers will reach 1.12 billion readers by 2027.
• By 2027, it has been projected that the market value will reach $15.39 billion at a CAGR of 2.01% by 2027.
• In 2023, the revenue growth rate is expected to be 4.2% whereas the projected revenue is $14.41 billion.

Americas

• In the United States of America, eBooks Statistics projects that the market volume will be $5.86 billion which will grow at a CAGR of 0.82% by 2027.
• As of 2027, the user penetration in the American market is expected at 155.50 million readers.
• Moreover, the user penetration in 2023 is expected at 14.1% whereas it will be 15% by the year 2027.
• In the global comparison of the eBook market, the most revenue is expected to generate in the United States of America in 2023 resulting in $5,252 million.
• As of 2023, American eBook market revenue is expected to reach $5.67 billion.
• The average revenue per user is projected at $39.61.
• Furthermore, eBook revenue growth in the year 2023 is projected at 0.9%.

Europe

• The European eBooks market projects the market volume by 2027 to reach $2.63 billion at a CAGR of 1.26%.
• In 2023, the revenue in the European digital books market is expected to generate $2.50 billion.
• Moreover, the expected average revenue per user is $27.37.
• eBooks Statistics projects that the number of readers will reach 96.99 million by 2027.
• As of 2023, the expected revenue growth is 8.9%.

Asia

• By 2027, eBooks Statistics projects that the total number of readers in the Asian market will reach 0.72 billion at a rate of 13.8% in 2023 and 15.5% by 2027.
• The expected average revenue per user is $8.97 in 2023.
• Moreover, by 2027, the expected eBooks market value is $6.44 billion with a rate of CAGR 3.49%.
• In 2023, the revenue growth is expected to amount to 5.9%.
• Furthermore, it is expected that in 2023, the total revenue in the eBooks market will reach $5.61 billion.

Africa

• In 2023, the African eBooks market is expected to generate revenue of $173.70 million.
• The revenue growth in the same market is expected at 6.3% in 2023.
• Moreover, it is projected that the average revenue per user will be $1.47.
• eBooks Statistics of African region expected that the total number of readers will reach 147.30 million by 2027.
• The African eBooks market is projected to grow at a CAGR of 3.76% by reaching $201.30 million by 2027.
• The projected user penetration in 2023 and 2027 is expected to amount to 9.4% and 10.7% respectively.
• In 2023, the revenue growth is expected at 6.3%.

eBooks Statistics by Demographic

• On average, women (56%) are more likely to be avid book readers than men (42%).
• As of 2022, 79% of the Americans who had a high level of income purchased eBooks from Amazon.
• Millennials and Gen Z contribute to the e-book market more than other generations.
• 60% of the readers belong to the 18 to 45 years of age group.
• Gen Z searches on social media to find a recommendation for an ebook while Silent Generation and baby boomers choose based on the bestsellers ranking.
• 61% of the readers in every generation prefer fiction over non-fiction.

eBooks Statistics by The Total Number of Books Sold

• On average, every month 15.92 million ebooks are sold globally, which becomes 3.67 million per week.
• Further estimates of eBooks Statistics state, per day 524.72 digital books and 21.86 thousand books are sold every hour.
• Moreover, globally, 364.28 books are sold every minute.

eBooks Statistics by Genre

• Women are more likely to read fiction than men.
• The romance/ Erotica genre is ranked top for the most profitable ebook category on Amazon with an average sale of $1.44 billion.
• In addition, Crime/Mystery ($728.2 million), Religious/Inspirational ($720 million), Science Fiction/ Fantasy ($590.2 million), and Horror ($79.6 million) are ranked respectively.

eBooks Statistics by Platform

• 72% of the bookworms in America read digital books on Amazon Kindle.
• Whereas, 10% of Americans read on Barnes and Noble Corner platform.
• There are only 18% of ebook readers use different applications for digital books.

eBooks Statistics by Country

• In the previous year, China ranked top in ebook adoption as there were 365 million readers resulting in 26.1% contributed to digital reading.
• India, Thailand, and China have the highest number of readers with the most time spent reading every week.

(Source: tonerbuzz.com)

• As of 2022, readers in India, Thailand, and China spend the highest number of hours at reading every week resulting in 10 hours and 42 minutes, 09 hours 24 minutes, and 08 hours respectively.
• Whereas the lowest number of readers spending time with books are living in Taiwan, Japan, and Korea resulting in 5 hours, Japan (4 hours and 6 minutes) and Korea 3 hours and 6 minutes

Conclusion

The days have changed from paperback to e-books. The global ebook market has already reached billions of dollars, allowing self-published authors to sell their books on the internet. It is not always affordable to publish and print books in paperback or hardback formats. Thanks to technology today, publishing a book has become extremely easy. In addition to this, digital books are less expensive and have a price difference of at least $50 as compared to paperback books. Kindle is one of the best devices to download digital books from Amazon. As compared to other platforms Amazon has a wide range of ebooks available for download. Furthermore, the Kindle is a pocket-friendly device available in the market today.

Barry Elad

Barry is a lover of everything technology. Figuring out how the software works and creating content to shed more light on the value it offers users is his favorite pastime. When not evaluating apps or programs, he's busy trying out new healthy recipes, doing yoga, meditating, or taking nature walks with his little one.

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