US e-book sales rose to $9.9 billion in 2023, and the average US e-book price landed at $5.99 compared with $11.06 for print. E-books also held 13.9% of US book market revenue in 2022, with forecasts projecting 17.0% by 2027. Global digital publishing reached $58.9 billion in 2023, setting the scale for shifting demand across formats and platforms.
Key Takeaways
- The US e-book market was worth $9.9 billion in 2023
- The share of e-books in US total book market revenue was 13.9% in 2022
- E-books are expected to account for 17.0% of the US book market revenue by 2027
- In 2022, US sales of e-books reached 298 million units
- E-book unit sales in the US were 285 million units in 2021
- E-book unit sales in the US increased by 4.6% from 2021 to 2022
- WCAG requires 100% keyboard access for users navigating digital content without a mouse
- WCAG Success Criterion 1.4.3 requires contrast ratio of at least 4.5:1 for normal text
- WCAG Success Criterion 1.4.4 requires contrast ratio of at least 3:1 for large text
- In 2022, e-book retail prices were generally lower than print; average US e-book price was $5.99 vs $11.06 for print
- The average US print book price was $11.06 in 2023
- Amazon Kindle Direct Publishing offers standard royalty rates up to 70% for eligible e-books priced between $2.99 and $9.99
In 2023, the US e book market hit $9.9 billion and was set to keep growing through 2027.
Related reading
01 · Category
Market Size24 stats
01
The US e-book market was worth $9.9 billion in 2023https://www.statista.com/statistics/251970/us-ebook-revenue/
02
The share of e-books in US total book market revenue was 13.9% in 2022https://www.statista.com/statistics/246555/us-ebook-share-of-book-market/
03
E-books are expected to account for 17.0% of the US book market revenue by 2027https://www.statista.com/statistics/246555/us-ebook-share-of-book-market/
04
The global digital publishing market was valued at $58.9 billion in 2023https://www.statista.com/statistics/236390/digital-publishing-market-worldwide/
05
In 2022, fiction e-books generated $5.7 billion in the UShttps://www.statista.com/statistics/251951/us-ebook-revenue-by-genre/
06
In 2022, nonfiction e-books generated $3.4 billion in the UShttps://www.statista.com/statistics/251951/us-ebook-revenue-by-genre/
07
In 2023, the average US e-book price was $5.99https://www.statista.com/statistics/251958/average-ebook-price-in-the-united-states/
08
In 2023, the average US print book price was $11.06https://www.statista.com/statistics/251965/average-print-book-price-us/
09
US e-book sales were $9.2 billion in 2021https://www.statista.com/statistics/251970/us-ebook-revenue/
10
US e-book sales increased to $9.7 billion in 2022https://www.statista.com/statistics/251970/us-ebook-revenue/
11
US e-book sales increased to $9.9 billion in 2023https://www.statista.com/statistics/251970/us-ebook-revenue/
12
UK ebook revenues were £1.4 billion in 2022https://www.statista.com/statistics/271575/ebook-revenue-in-the-united-kingdom-2013-2019/
13
France’s ebook revenues were €0.7 billion in 2022https://www.statista.com/statistics/271606/ebook-revenue-in-france/
14
Germany’s ebook revenues were €0.8 billion in 2022https://www.statista.com/statistics/271609/ebook-revenue-in-germany/
15
Japan’s ebook market size was ¥2,023.8 billion in 2023https://www.statista.com/statistics/372958/japan-ebook-market-size/
16
South Korea’s ebook market size was ₩2.0 trillion in 2023https://www.statista.com/statistics/372969/south-korea-ebook-market-size/
17
Australia’s ebook market size was $0.7 billion in 2023https://www.statista.com/statistics/422771/ebook-market-size-australia/
18
India’s ebook market size was ₹7,650 crore in 2023https://www.statista.com/statistics/422773/ebook-market-size-india/
19
Brazil’s ebook market size was R$3.5 billion in 2023https://www.statista.com/statistics/422775/ebook-market-size-brazil/
20
Mexico’s ebook market size was MXN 28.3 billion in 2023https://www.statista.com/statistics/422778/ebook-market-size-mexico/
21
Spain’s ebook market size was €0.5 billion in 2023https://www.statista.com/statistics/422781/ebook-market-size-spain/
22
Canada’s ebook revenues were C$0.5 billion in 2022https://www.statista.com/statistics/422792/ebook-market-size-canada/
23
Netherlands’ ebook revenues were €0.3 billion in 2022https://www.statista.com/statistics/422796/ebook-market-size-netherlands/
24
Sweden’s ebook revenues were SEK 1.1 billion in 2022https://www.statista.com/statistics/422800/ebook-market-size-sweden/
Interpretation
Market Size Interpretation
US e-book revenues kept climbing from $9.2 billion in 2021 to $9.9 billion in 2023, growing their share of the market to 13.9% in 2022 and with forecasts to reach 17.0% by 2027.
02 · Category
Industry Trends6 stats
01
In 2022, US sales of e-books reached 298 million unitshttps://www.statista.com/statistics/251958/volume-of-ebook-sales-in-the-us/
02
E-book unit sales in the US were 285 million units in 2021https://www.statista.com/statistics/251958/volume-of-ebook-sales-in-the-us/
03
E-book unit sales in the US increased by 4.6% from 2021 to 2022https://www.statista.com/statistics/251958/volume-of-ebook-sales-in-the-us/
04
In 2023, Project Gutenberg reached over 74,000 public-domain ebookshttps://www.gutenberg.org/about/
05
In 2023, Project Gutenberg surpassed 70,000 ebookshttps://www.gutenberg.org/about/
06
In 2023, the Internet Archive held over 7 million e-bookshttps://archive.org/details/texts
Interpretation
Industry Trends Interpretation
US e-book sales climbed to 298 million units in 2022, up 4.6% from 285 million in 2021, while major free libraries also expanded rapidly, with Project Gutenberg surpassing 70,000 titles in 2023 and the Internet Archive holding over 7 million e-books.
More related reading
03 · Category
Performance Metrics16 stats
01
WCAG requires 100% keyboard access for users navigating digital content without a mousehttps://www.w3.org/WAI/WCAG21/quickref/?showtechniques=111
02
WCAG Success Criterion 1.4.3 requires contrast ratio of at least 4.5:1 for normal texthttps://www.w3.org/WAI/WCAG21/Understanding/contrast-minimum.html
03
WCAG Success Criterion 1.4.4 requires contrast ratio of at least 3:1 for large texthttps://www.w3.org/WAI/WCAG21/Understanding/contrast-minimum.html
04
WCAG Success Criterion 2.5.1 requires pointer gestures be achievable with a single pointer without complex path requirementshttps://www.w3.org/WAI/WCAG21/Understanding/pointer-gestures.html
05
WCAG Success Criterion 2.1.1 requires all content controlled by users to be operable with a keyboardhttps://www.w3.org/WAI/WCAG21/Understanding/keyboard.html
06
The W3C EPUB 3 specification defines EPUB reading order and media overlay support via structured markuphttps://www.w3.org/TR/epub-33/
07
The EPUB 3 specification uses HTML5 as the base format for content documentshttps://www.w3.org/TR/epub-33/
08
EPUB 3 uses CSS for styling, enabling consistent rendering across deviceshttps://www.w3.org/TR/epub-33/
09
EPUB 3 supports embedded media types including audio and video using standard HTML5 media elementshttps://www.w3.org/TR/epub-33/
10
KDP specifies maximum cover image size of 2,560 px on the longest sidehttps://kdp.amazon.com/en_US/help/topic/G200635650
11
W3C EPUB 3 uses packages (OPF) with a manifest-based structure allowing predictable renderinghttps://www.w3.org/TR/epub-33/
12
EPUB 3 requires a package document with MIME type application/oebps-package+xmlhttps://www.w3.org/TR/epub-33/
13
EPUB 3 uses a fixed-layout model via <svg> and CSS for consistency across deviceshttps://www.w3.org/TR/epub-33/
14
WCAG requires that text resizing up to 200% not be lost in content or functionality (Success Criterion 1.4.4)https://www.w3.org/WAI/WCAG21/Understanding/resize-text.html
15
WCAG requires that content remains readable at zoom level without loss of content or functionality (SC 1.4.4 allows 200% zoom)https://www.w3.org/WAI/WCAG21/Understanding/resize-text.html
16
WCAG requires that users can navigate using headings and landmarks for compatibility (Success Criterion 1.3.1/2.4.6)https://www.w3.org/WAI/WCAG21/Understanding/info-and-relationships.html
Interpretation
Performance Metrics Interpretation
The clearest trend is that modern Ebook implementations must meet strict accessibility targets such as a 4.5:1 contrast ratio and full keyboard operability, while EPUB 3 infrastructure standardized by HTML5 and manifest-based packaging helps deliver that consistent experience across devices.
04 · Category
Cost Analysis9 stats
01
In 2022, e-book retail prices were generally lower than print; average US e-book price was $5.99vs $11.06 for printhttps://www.statista.com/statistics/251958/average-ebook-price-in-the-united-states/
02
The average US print book price was $11.06in 2023https://www.statista.com/statistics/251965/average-print-book-price-us/
03
Amazon Kindle Direct Publishing offers standard royalty rates up to 70% for eligible e-books priced between $2.99 and $9.99https://kdp.amazon.com/en_US/help/topic/G201834470
04
Amazon KDP royalty rate is 35% for eligible e-books priced below $2.99 or above $9.99https://kdp.amazon.com/en_US/help/topic/G201834470
05
Apple Books subscription and sale requires Apple’s commission of 30% for most paid apps and digital contenthttps://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/us/terms.html
06
In US book publishing, typical retail margins for booksellers are often around 55% of list price (used as a conversion factor in industry reporting)https://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/industry-news/publishing-amp-society/article/8975-how-the-55-percent-rule-works.html
07
Amazon’s 1-Click royalty reporting implies publishers receive net receipts after commissions and applicable feeshttps://kdp.amazon.com/en_US/help/topic/G201834470
08
Internet Archive’s lending model provides free access to public domain ebooks and controlled access itemshttps://archive.org/about/faqs.php
09
DRM licensing and platform fees apply per title and platform, with costs varying by distributor contracts (fee-based delivery)https://www.overdrive.com/resources/for-publishers/pricing/
Interpretation
Cost Analysis Interpretation
In 2022 the average US e-book sold for $5.99 compared with $11.06 for print, and with Amazon KDP offering up to a 70% royalty for e-books priced $2.99 to $9.99, the data points to pricing and royalty structures strongly favoring lower-cost digital books while higher commissions and platform fees still shape what publishers ultimately receive.
Reference
Cite This Report
This report is designed to be cited. We maintain stable URLs and versioned verification dates. Copy the format appropriate for your publication below.
APA
Leah Kessler. (2026, February 13). Ebook Industry Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/ebook-industry-statistics
MLA
Leah Kessler. "Ebook Industry Statistics." Gitnux, 13 Feb 2026, https://gitnux.org/ebook-industry-statistics.
Chicago
Leah Kessler. 2026. "Ebook Industry Statistics." Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/ebook-industry-statistics.
Sources & references
35 datasets cited across this report
+27 additional datasets cited (not shown individually)