by Abdullah Faraz
February 23, 2025
Around 187,500 novels are published annually in the U.S., based on 25% of the 750,000 average annual book publications. The total number of new books published each year in the U.S. ranges from 500,000 to 3 million.
The book market is experiencing slow growth, with some areas showing decline while others are gradually recovering.
With that in mind, here’s a breakdown of what we’ll cover:
- Book Market Stats 2025 (Top Picks)
- Book Market Trends and Statistics
- Book Sales Statistics
- Book Market Statistics by Country
- Niche Markets in the Book Industry
Book Market Stats 2025 (Top Picks)
- Approximately 187,500 novels are published each year in the U.S.
- Book sales are going down. Book sales dropped from $8.39 billion to $8.32 billion, 0.7%.
- The books market is growing with a CAGR of 4.2% from 2023 to 2025.
- The global book market size was estimated at $150.99 billion.
- 4 to 5 million books were published in 2023.
- Self-published authors typically sell 250 books.
- The United States is dominating the book industry. 3,279,217 ISBNs were registered in North America in 2022, while it accounted for 33.2% of the global books market in 2024.
- The global books market was valued at $144.41 billion in 2023.
- The UK is about to reach $3.44 billion in 2025.
- $44.2 billion was measured as the revenue of the book publishing industry in 2024 in the United States.
- 767.36 million books were sold in the United States in 2023.
- Barnes & Noble, Inc. is the largest retail bookseller in the United States.
- In 2023, an American bought an average of 2 to 5 books.
- The global book publishing market was valued at USD 99.9 billion in 2022.
- In 2024, $17.41 billion was the value of the comic book market.
- $14.92 billion is the revenue of the eBook industry in 2025.
- The children’s books market was valued at USD 15.9 billion in 2023.
- In 2024, the self-help books market was valued at $45.7 billion.
- In 2023, graphic novel sales in North America were approximately $1.45 billion, with around 44.7 million units sold.
- 39 million romance novels are published each year.
Book Market Trends and Statistics
Are book sales going up or down?
Book sales are going down. The U.S. Census Bureau released its preliminary bookstore sales in 2023, revealing that the first half of this year’s sales were up 6.9%, but after August, sales started declining by up to 17%. This data shows that more and more people are moving into eBooks. However, there will always be a fraction of people who prefer reading printed books.
Book sales dropped from $8.39 billion to $8.32 billion, 0.7%.
Source: Publisher Weekly
Is the market for books growing?
Yes, the books market is growing with a CAGR of 4.2% from 2023 to 2025. The global market size was estimated at $150.99 billion. It is estimated to reach USD 165.22 billion by 2031. Other formats of content are slowing down the books market growth.
Source: Straits Research, Grand View Research
Is the book industry oversaturated?
It depends on the industry, but the book industry is not oversaturated overall. In 2022, the number of books published was 4 million, and 4 to 5 million books were published in 2023. Every year, 500,000 to 1,000,000 new books are published. There are many categories where readers are looking for great books, while other categories are oversaturated.
Source: Tonzer Buzz, Zippia
How many books does the average author sell?
The average number of books an author sells depends on multiple factors. Self-published authors typically sell 250 books. Traditionally published authors sell 3,000 copies, and lifetime sales vary greatly.
Book sales are directly related to marketing: stronger marketing leads to more book sales, even with mediocre quality, while weak marketing efforts result in fewer sales, even for high-quality books.
Source: Nonfiction
Book Sales Statistics
Printed Book sales statistics by year for united states
| Year of Sales | Sales in Millions |
| 2004 | 648 |
| 2005 | 741 |
| 2006 | 721 |
| 2007 | 785 |
| 2008 | 778 |
| 2009 | 770 |
| 2010 | 718 |
| 2011 | 651 |
| 2012 | 591 |
| 2013 | 620 |
| 2014 | 635 |
| 2015 | 653 |
| 2016 | 674 |
| 2017 | 686.9 |
| 2018 | 698.44 |
| 2019 | 697.31 |
| 2020 | 756.82 |
| 2021 | 837.66 |
| 2022 | 787.65 |
| 2023 | 767.36 |
Source: Statista
Book market statistics by country for 2023
| Country | Share |
| Philippines | 136% |
| Mexico | 128% |
| New Zealand | 95% |
| Chile | 89% |
| Netherlands | 83% |
| South Africa | 71% |
| United Kingdom | 68% |
| Colombia | 66% |
| Portugal | 64% |
| Australia | 62% |
| United States | 59% |
| Germany | 52% |
| Canada | 50% |
| Norway | 49% |
| Spain | 47% |
| Argentina | 44% |
| Greece | 39% |
| Singapur | 39% |
| Sweden | 39% |
| Brazil | 37% |
| Finland | 36% |
| Turkey | 28% |
Source: Publish Drive
Which country has the biggest book industry?
As always, the United States is dominating the book industry. 3,279,217 ISBNs were registered in North America in 2022, while it accounted for 33.2% of the global books market in 2024.
Source: Grand View Research
What is the market size of the book industry?
The global books market was valued at $144.41 billion in 2023. It is projected to grow from $147.01 billion in 2024 to USD 169.57 billion by 2032, reflecting a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 1.8% during the forecast period (2025–2032). This steady growth highlights the market’s resilience and potential for expansion over the coming years.
SSource: Sky Questt
How big is the book market in the UK?
The book market in the UK is about to reach $3.44 billion in 2025. A CAGR of 1.14% is expected for the four years from 2025 to 2029. It is anticipated that market revenue will reach $3.60 billion by the end of 2029.
This growth, although slow, is much better than a declining trend. The good thing is that despite all content sources—videos, blogs, social media posts, and podcasts—it is still maintaining its position.
Source: Statista
How many books are sold per year in the UK?
198.6 million books were sold in the United Kingdom in 2023, which is 70.32% fewer sales than in 2022. 2022 was the year with the highest book sales overall, at 669 million. However, the good news is that the trend is not declining, with a CAGR of 1.14% expected over the next four years.
Source: Books and Publishing, The Guardian
How large is the US book market?
$44.2 billion was the measured revenue of the book publishing industry in 2024 in the United States. The US book market is approximately $40.76 billion larger than the UK book market and is about 1,184.88% higher in size.
Source: IBIS World
How many books are sold in the US each year?
767.36 million books were sold in the United States in 2023, which is 21.64 million fewer units sold than in 2022. However, 2021 saw the highest sales, with 825.7 million units. US print book sales fell by only 2.6% in 2023 compared to 2022.
Source: The bookseller, Statista
Who is the largest book retailer in the US?
Barnes & Noble, Inc. is the largest retail bookseller in the United States. It has about 600 stores across the country, while Books-A-Million is the second-largest retailer, operating in 32 US states with around 260 stores.
Source: Barnes and Noble, Publishing-export
How many books does the average American buy?
In 2023, an American bought an average of 2 to 5 books. This is because 767.36 million books were sold, and the population is 334.9 million. However, the average American reads only 12 books per year. 65% of Americans have not read a book in the past year.
Source: Abtaba
How big is the book publishing market?
The global book publishing market, valued at USD 99.9 billion in 2022, is expected to grow to a revised size of USD 108.8 billion by 2030. This represents a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 1.1% over the forecast period from 2022 to 2030. The modest growth reflects the industry’s steady development despite evolving market dynamics.
Source: Yahoo Finance
Niche Markets in the Book Industry
How much is the comic book market worth?
In 2024, $17.41 billion was the value of the comic book market. This is an increase of approximately 5.9% from the recent year, 2023 ($16.44 billion). It will continue to grow at a CAGR of 5.92% from 2025 to 2032, reaching $27.58 billion.
Source: Skyquestt
What is the market share of comics in the US?
As of 2025, the comic book market in the United States holds a 40% share of the global market in 2024 and will grow at an annual growth rate (CAGR) of 7.69% from 2024 to 2031. This dominance is attributed to the strong presence of major publishers like Marvel and DC Comics.
Top Companies Market Share in Comic Book Industry (Q4, 2024)
| Companies | Share |
| Marvel Comics (New York U.S.) | 33.3% |
| DC Comics Inc. (California US.) | 26.9% |
| Dark Horse Comics (Oregon US.) | 3.9% |
| Image Comics (Oregon US.) | 12% |
| Fantagraphics (Washington U.S.) | Less than 1% |
Source: Cognitive Market Research, Screen Rant
How big is the eBook industry?
$14.92 billion is the revenue of the eBook industry in 2025. Its CAGR is 1.27%, and it will grow to $15.69 billion between 2025 and 2029. While the overall book market size is $150.99 billion, it holds a share of only 9.88%.
Source: Statista
What percentage of books sold are eBooks?
As of September 2024, eBooks account for approximately 9.9% of total trade sales in the US consumer book market. This figure reflects a gradual increase in eBook sales, which generated about $90.5 million in revenue during that month, marking a 4.0% growth compared to September 2023.
Source: Tunerbuzz
How big is the children’s book industry?
The Children’s Books Market was valued at USD 15.9 billion in 2023 and is expected to grow to USD 24.5 billion by 2031, registering a CAGR of 6.3% during the forecast period from 2024 to 2031.
Source: Verified Market Research
How many children’s books are sold each year?
Based on the global book market data, approximately 231 million children’s books are sold each year. This estimate is derived by calculating the share of children’s book revenue within the total book market and applying that percentage to the total number of books sold worldwide.
How much is the self-help book market size?
In 2024, the self-help book market was valued at $45.7 billion. It is expected to grow at a CAGR of 7.9% between the forecast period of 2024 to 2033. The self-help book market is expected to account for approximately 31.08% of the global books market in 2024.
Source: Custom Market Insights
How many fantasy novels are published each year?
It is estimated that around 200,000 to 300,000 fantasy novels are published globally each year. The global fiction book market, which includes fantasy, is expected to grow steadily, reaching approximately $11.38 billion in 2025, indicating a strong demand for genre fiction like fantasy.
Source: The Business Research Company
How many graphic novels are published each year?
In 2023, graphic novel sales in North America were approximately $1.45 billion, with around 44.7 million units sold. This represents a decline of about 6% in dollar sales and a 15% decrease in unit sales from the previous year.
Source: Buttondown
How many romance novels are published each year?
39 million romance novels are published each year, according to the latest data from May 2023. The romance genre generates over $1.44 billion in revenue, making it the highest-earning genre of fiction.
Source: Wordsrated
Conclusion
In conclusion, the global book market continues to evolve with a significant volume of publications each year. Despite slow growth in certain sectors, the overall book market is resilient, with projections indicating a steady rise in market value.
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