E-Books (Global Market)

2023: Reader sales in the world for the year exceeded $10 billion

In 2023, sales of e-book readers on a global scale reached $10.11 billion. The market is showing steady positive momentum, driven by growing demand for digital content and online learning. Industry trends are addressed in the Market Research Future survey, which TAdviser reviewed in mid-December 2024.

Most readers, it is noted, use electronic ink technology, which reduces eye strain and provides sensations comparable to reading a regular paper book. In addition, in such gadgets, energy is spent only at the time of redrawing the image, which ensures a long battery life on a single battery charge. Readers provide the opportunity to carry thousands of books and all kinds of documents, which attracts both reading lovers and students who require various materials to study.

An important driver of the industry is technological advances. Manufacturers are constantly improving the characteristics of their devices, increasing the display resolution, increasing battery life, etc. Readers are overgrown with additional functions, including touch control, protection against moisture and dust, built-in backlight. This allows them to be used in a variety of conditions, including in the dark or in low light. Some models, along with wireless Wi-Fi , offer support for cellular connections.

Many e-reading platforms provide additional services to connect with other people and like-minded people, such as online book clubs and forums. Most readers can play audio formats such as MP3 files: this allows you to listen to audio books or simply enjoy music. In general, the expanding functionality of reading devices is attracting more and more buyers.

By display type, readers are divided into electronic ink (E-Ink) models and LCD solutions. Devices of the first type dominate due to their excellent readability in bright sunlight and energy efficiency. In terms of panel size, options with a diagonal of 6-8 inches are most popular, which is explained by the optimal balance between portability and ease of reading. Among the significant market players named:

• Ectacto;
• Amazon;
• Sony;
• News Corporation;
• Barnes & Noble;
• Hanvon Technology;
• Rakuten Kobo;
• Onyx International;
• Arta Tech;
• Bookeen;
• PocketBook International.

Geographically, North America is leading, helped by several factors. The region boasts a high level of digital literacy and a wide penetration of the Internet, which stimulates demand for all kinds of gadgets, including e-book readers. In addition, many major developers of such products are concentrated here, including Amazon with its Kindle series. In price terms, the largest share is occupied by the middle segment: consumers often look for readers that offer the optimal ratio of cost and quality, and medium-priced gadgets usually meet these requirements.

At the end of 2024, revenue in the reader segment is estimated at $10.67 billion. Market Research Future analysts believe that in the future, the CAGR (average annual growth rate in complex percentages) will be 6.82%. As a result, by 2032, costs on a global scale could increase to $18.1 billion.^[1]

2013

In 2013, the e-book market increased by 37% compared to 2012, and in 2013-2014, the market is expected to grow by about 28%, and its volume will reach $11 billion, according to the World Newsmedia Network.

According to The Global eBook Report, at the beginning of 2014, the United States remained the largest player in the book market in the world, occupying 26% of the global market. The second largest market in terms of volume is the Chinese book market - 12% of the world market. The TOP-6 largest markets - the USA, China, Germany, Japan, France, Great Britain - account for almost 60% of the world market volume.

Characteristics of the e-book market by country

USA

In the United States, the e-books market is actively developing. Popular newspapers such as the New York Times and USA Today began to include e-book sales on their bestseller lists starting in the first quarter of 2011. The largest American publishers have revenues from e-book sales of 30 to 40%, according to The Global eBook Report. Under the influence of the rapid distribution of devices such as the Amazon Kindle and Apple iPad, e-book sales have grown and are likely to maintain growth rates in the future. Barnes & Noble also saw the largest holiday sales ever, with most of it coming from sales through their online retailer Nook.

Great Britain

One in four UK book purchases came from a book digitally in 2013, while in 2012 only one in five were from an e-book, suggesting an increase in e-book penetration.

Japan

The main income in the e-book segment of Japan comes from comics that are easy to read on small mobile phone displays. In Japan, comics exist everywhere, they are read by young and old. There are various genres: from fiction to archeology, cooking, preschool and business comics. Mobile manga comics have created the Japanese e-book market and continue to dominate the content of other genres: fiction, science, etc. The growth of the e-book market will be facilitated by lower prices for readers and the widespread use of smartphones in Japan.

1922: Bradley Fiske Reading Machine

In 1922, Rear Admiral Bradley Fiske invented the world's first "Reading Machine." Thanks to the technology of microphone copying of ordinary printed text, the admiral was able to fit Mark Twain's book "Simpletons Abroad" of 93,000 characters on only 13 pages measuring 12 cm.

See also

• E-books (Russian market)

Notes