Data showing how many books were sold in 2024 revealed that the printed book market remains healthy: a total of ***** million units were sold that year among outlets which reported to the source. Whilst this marked a small jump from the previous year, the figure peaked in 2021 and has not surpassed *** million since. Trade paperbacks remained the dominant format. Book sales statistics Looking at book sales by year, 2005 to 2010 were the most lucrative for the printed book market, with well over *** million units sold annually during that five-year period. After dropping below *** million in 2012, gradual and consistent increases can be seen each year, with the exception of between the years 2018 and 2019. For bookstores though, how many books are sold each year depends on the success of key months across a twelve-month period. Bookstore sales in the United States are at their highest in December, January, and August, but figures for December are consistently higher than other months. Books are popular holiday gifts, with around ** to ** percent of consumers responding to annual surveys in each year from 2012 to 2020 saying that they planned to purchase books as presents during the festive season.

In 2023, the estimated net revenue of the U.S. book publishing industry amounted to 29.9 billion U.S. dollars. This marks a small decrease from the previous year, but revenue remains stable and is an improvement on the figures recorded for previous years.

Online booksellers sell books online, including e-books and audiobooks. The industry is dominated by Amazon.com Inc. (Amazon), which popularized the sale of books online and was essential to the uptake of e-books. Amazon has grown to account for more than four-fifths of all revenue from books sold online; so many industry trends directly result from Amazon. The industry has continued to grow rapidly as e-commerce has grown in popularity. Growing e-book popularity is also tied to the proliferation of e-readers such as Amazon's Kindle and tablets like Apple's iPad. Revenue for online booksellers is expected to expand at a CAGR of 4.6% to $10.0 billion through the end of 2024. The industry has likewise benefited from a strong economy. While the COVID-19 pandemic proved to be a unique disruptive force, its effect on the industry was ultimately positive. Online commerce boomed as brick-and-mortar locations were shuttered and required to operate with restrictions throughout the pandemic. Despite Amazon's dominance, new upstarts have attempted to challenge its business model given the low barriers to entry. Shortly before the pandemic, Bookshop, an online book marketplace, launched to challenge Amazon's monopoly in the market by working with local booksellers. Still, entrants endure stiff challenges as they attempt to enter an industry with several well-established sellers. Without regulatory changes, Amazon will continue to reap most benefits from expanding online book sales through the end of 2029. The industry is expected to strengthen because of rising e-commerce sales, rising e-book and audiobook consumption and a strong economy. Profit will remain limited as Amazon is known to sell products, especially books, at retail prices below retail prices to expand its control of the overall market. Revenue for online booksellers is expected to swell at a CAGR of 2.9% to $11.5 billion through the end of 2029.

Graph and download economic data for Retail Sales: Book Stores (MRTSMPCSM451211USN) from Feb 1992 to May 2025 about book, retail trade, sales, retail, and USA.

Net value of book sales by customer category, includes all members under Net value of book sales by customer category, for Book publishers, for Canada and regions, for one year of data.

Retail sales data for bookstores in the United States showed that the sales of U.S. book retailers amounted to *** million U.S. dollars in April 2025, marking an increase from the *** million recorded in the same month of the previous year. Book formats in the United States Print books still generate the majority of book sales revenue in the United States, with hardback books alone pulling in *** billion U.S. dollars of the *** billion total in 2021. Meanwhile, e-book sales growth is sluggish. The number of e-books sold each year is notoriously difficult to track and results depend on the data provided by publishers, and official figures show that annual e-book revenue has yet to reach *** billion U.S. dollars. When it comes to audiobooks, physical audiobook revenue has fallen consistently since 2017, whereas downloaded audio revenue is increasing. Audiobook consumption Audiobook sales revenue is climbing in tandem with the share of U.S. adults listening to audiobooks in general. One of the advantages of audiobooks is the ability to enjoy them whilst on the move, but data shows that more and more consumers have begun listening to them at home. Whilst the COVID-19 pandemic led to increased in-home media consumption, the home was already a popular location for audiobook listening prior to the outbreak, with a survey from 2019 revealing that the same share of respondents listened to audiobooks at home as those who did so in the car. Given their unique appeal, audiobooks will continue to gather ground. Print, however, is still the preferred book format, and new print books outperform used books in terms of popularity which is good news for the book market.

The sales of books by language of printing , by North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) 511130 book publishers, which include all members under sales, (dollars X 1,000,000), every 2 years, for five years of data.

United States Retail Sales: Book Stores data was reported at 1.320 USD bn in Aug 2018. This records an increase from the previous number of 661.000 USD mn for Jul 2018. United States Retail Sales: Book Stores data is updated monthly, averaging 1.022 USD bn from Jan 1992 (Median) to Aug 2018, with 320 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 2.425 USD bn in Aug 2008 and a record low of 523.000 USD mn in Apr 1992. United States Retail Sales: Book Stores data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by US Census Bureau. The data is categorized under Global Database’s USA – Table US.H001: Retail Sales: By NAIC System.

United States - Retail Sales: Book Stores was 652.00000 Mil. of $ in May of 2025, according to the United States Federal Reserve. Historically, United States - Retail Sales: Book Stores reached a record high of 2370.00000 in August of 2008 and a record low of 164.00000 in April of 2020. Trading Economics provides the current actual value, an historical data chart and related indicators for United States - Retail Sales: Book Stores - last updated from the United States Federal Reserve on August of 2025.

The sales by nationality of authors by North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) 511130 book publishers, which include all members under breakdown of sales by nationality of authors, (dollars X 1,000,000), every 2 years, for five years of data.

Book sales revenue in the United States in 2024 amounted to *** billion U.S. dollars, of which *** billion was derived from hardback books. Meanwhile, paperbacks reached *** billion U.S. dollars, in line with trends showing consistent growth in this segment since 2017. The source reported e-book revenue as *** billion U.S. dollars, a drop from the previous two years, whereas downloaded audiobook revenue continued to grow, and in 2024 surpassed *****illion U.S. dollars.

The net value of book sales for Canadian publishers by customer category by North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) 511130 book publishers, which include all members under net value of book sales by customer category, (dollars X 1,000,000), every 2 years, for five years of data.

Sales for comic books and graphic novels through the direct market and bookstore channels in 2016. Direct market sales derived from John Jackson Miller's Diamond sales estimates. Bookstore sales derived from Brian Hibbs's analysis of Nielsen BookScan data.

Graph and download economic data for Producer Price Index by Commodity: Publishing Sales, Excluding Software: Sales of General Adult and Juvenile Books (WPU331104) from Dec 1980 to Jun 2025 about book, adult, software, printing, sales, commodities, PPI, inflation, price index, indexes, price, and USA.

From a newspaper article about analyzing amazon e-book sales by genre and publisher. Unfortunately, they do not have information on the book’s title or author. This collection includes 54,000 titles spanning across several genres and types of publishing companies, practically every book on every Amazon bestseller list. Along with publisher information, it also includes the book’s overall Amazon Kindle store sales ranking. This ranking is used to sort the books. Keep in mind that this data is NOT time-oriented; it is a collection of a bunch of different books, not a book over time.

Acknowlegement

Original Data

CORGIS Dataset Project

Foto von @felipepelaquim auf Unsplash

Graph and download economic data for Breakdown of Revenue by Media Type: Books - Print Books for Book Publishers, All Establishments, Employer Firms (RPCMPBEF51113ALLEST) from 2013 to 2022 about book, printing, employer firms, accounting, revenue, establishments, services, and USA.

Adult fiction book sales increased by *** percent between H1 2024 and H1 2025, with 2025 unit sales hitting ***** million between January and June that year. Adult nonfiction sales saw the biggest decline year over year with a drop of *** percent.

The Online Book Sales industry has faced mixed operating conditions. While an appreciating Australian dollar has made international book sites more price competitive, an overarching shift towards online shopping has driven local demand. Enhanced website design, improved navigation, and better online security and payment options have collectively boosted consumer confidence in online purchases. Industry revenue is expected to expand at an annualised 4.0% to $593.4 million over the five years through 2024-25. This trend includes a hike of 5.2% in the current year, as rising internet subscriber numbers, an upswing in consumer sentiment and an income hike encourage continued online spending. The Online Book Sales industry has experienced notable expansion, driven by the increased convenience and cost savings of online shopping. Books, being low-value and cost-efficient for delivery, have thrived in this environment. The surge in demand during the pandemic exemplified this trend, with lockdowns pushing consumers towards online purchases for entertainment. However, industry competition intensified as more entrants sought to capture market share. Traditional bookstores have also pivoted to online platforms, crowding the digital space. Legislative changes like Australia's GST adjustments since July 2018 have given local online stores a competitive edge. Yet, international giants continue to pose a challenge because of their extensive reach, economies of scale and an appreciating Australian dollar. Going forwards, revenue across the Online Book Sales industry is set to expand by an annualised 4.2% through the end of 2029-30 to $727.7 million. Rising internet subscriber numbers, stronger income growth, improved consumer sentiment, and enhanced online security and payment systems will provide opportunities for revenue to expand. Yet, greater competition from new entrants and established sites like Amazon and Booktopia will hamper profit growth. Digital formats, especially ebooks, will remain crucial, driven by ease of access and lower costs. Technological advancements will continue to enhance the quality and functionality of ebooks and ereaders, causing this segment to strengthen, notably within educational publishing, as schools and students seek more affordable and portable options.

In 2022 and in 2023, respectively 43 million books were sold in the Netherlands. This marked an increase from previous years, where the figure hovered between 39 and 41 million.

Over 230 million print books were sold in Russia in 2023. That was around 2.7 percent more than in the previous year. In 2019, the volume of book sales was the highest over the observed period.