Offline bookstores open, US e-book market sales decline

According to foreign media data, 2020 was the first year since 2013 that annual e-book unit sales of major US publishers increased by 22% year-on-year.

E-book sales benefited last year when many physical bookstores were closed due to pandemic restrictions. However, e-book sales growth trends have slowed so far in 2021, with monthly sales levels roughly in line with pre-pandemic sales levels in 2019.

According to foreign media statistics, as of June 2021, unit sales in the US e-book market fell 8% from last year, but sales still increased by 8% compared to before the epidemic in 2019.

Kristen Mclean, book industry analyst at NPD Group, said that due to the closure of physical stores last year, e-books were easier to buy than print books. Books in digital format also reduce various contacts to a certain extent, thereby reducing the risk of virus transmission.

Now that offline bookstores are open again, e-book sales for the full year of 2021 are expected to be lower than in 2020, but it is worth noting that if certain books are unavailable during the holidays, supply chain disruptions could cause another e-book boom. It is undeniable that e-books are still an important part of the U.S. book market.

One in six books sold is an e-book

Looking at all categories of print and e-book sales combined, e-books account for 18% of sales , meaning at least one in every six books is an e-book. In the 12 months ending June 2021, e-books lost one share point compared to the same period the previous year, with print book sales revenue eight times that of e-books.

          Image courtesy of NPD Group

Adult fiction holds the largest share of the e-book market, accounting for about 41% of combined sales , but it also lost the most format share compared to the previous year, falling 3 points.

Mclean said that after a boost in January 2021 in the U.S. e-book market due to Julia Quinn's " Bridgerton " series, sales fell back to normal levels the following month and have since performed closer to 2019 sales levels.

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