U.S. book publishing revenue rose 8.6% year over year in 2023, while purchase paths shifted toward digital discovery and retail. In a U.S. survey, 37% of respondents said they found books through social media and 41% of book buyers named online retailers as a primary channel. The metrics vary by channel too, including a 2.0x ROAS lift for personalized email campaigns and a 0.9% average email click-through rate across industries.
Key Takeaways
- 8.6% year-over-year growth of U.S. book publishing revenue in 2023
- 24% of publishers report using generative AI to support marketing tasks (2024 survey)
- 43% of publishers plan to increase digital marketing spend in 2024 (survey)
- 48% of readers say they buy print books in an average month (US, 2023 survey)
- 54% of Americans read e-books in 2022 (Pew Research Center)
- 37% of respondents reported discovering books through social media platforms (US survey, 2022)
- 2.7% of U.S. total ad spend went to book/publishing-related ads (industry estimate, 2023)
- 1.6% of marketing budgets on average are allocated to marketing analytics and measurement tools (2024)
- 2.0x higher ROAS for personalized email campaigns (Campaign Monitor benchmark study)
- 42% of marketers measure marketing ROI as a key metric (2024 survey)
- 0.9% average email click-through rate across industries (Mailchimp benchmark, 2024)
- $1.2 billion global market size for marketing attribution software in 2024
- $3.1 billion global market size for email marketing software in 2024
- $5.0 billion global market size for marketing automation software in 2024
U.S. publishing revenue rose in 2023 while digital marketing personalization and paid channels drove measurable engagement.
Related reading
01 · Category
Industry Trends7 stats
01
8.6% year-over-year growth of U.S. book publishing revenue in 2023
02
24% of publishers report using generative AI to support marketing tasks (2024 survey)
03
43% of publishers plan to increase digital marketing spend in 2024 (survey)
04
33% of publishers cite personalization as a top marketing priority (2024 survey)
05
43% of publishers said they plan to increase email marketing spend in 2024 (publisher survey, 2024)
06
49% of marketers say their organization is increasing spend on paid media in 2024
07
31% of marketers say they plan to increase influencer marketing spend in 2024
Interpretation
Industry Trends Interpretation
Publishers are clearly leaning into faster growth and smarter targeting, with U.S. book publishing revenue up 8.6% year over year in 2023 and major shares planning higher digital and email marketing budgets in 2024, including 33% prioritizing personalization and 43% planning to increase email marketing spend.
02 · Category
User Adoption5 stats
01
48% of readers say they buy print books in an average month (US, 2023 survey)
02
54% of Americans read e-books in 2022 (Pew Research Center)
03
37% of respondents reported discovering books through social media platforms (US survey, 2022)
04
41% of book buyers used online retailers as a primary channel (US, 2023 survey)
05
17% of U.S. consumers reported they used a mobile app to read e-books or audiobooks in 2023
Interpretation
User Adoption Interpretation
User adoption is clearly split across formats and channels, with 54% of Americans reading e-books in 2022 and 48% buying print books monthly, while discovery increasingly happens via social media at 37% and online retailers drive 41% of book purchases.
03 · Category
Cost Analysis2 stats
01
2.7% of U.S. total ad spend went to book/publishing-related ads (industry estimate, 2023)
02
1.6% of marketing budgets on average are allocated to marketing analytics and measurement tools (2024)
Interpretation
Cost Analysis Interpretation
For cost analysis, publishing marketing remains relatively lean with just 2.7% of total U.S. ad spend going to book and publishing related ads, and an even smaller 1.6% of average marketing budgets dedicated to analytics and measurement tools, suggesting most spend is going toward core promotion rather than optimization.
More related reading
04 · Category
Performance Metrics9 stats
01
2.0x higher ROAS for personalized email campaigns (Campaign Monitor benchmark study)
02
42% of marketers measure marketing ROI as a key metric (2024 survey)
03
0.9% average email click-through rate across industries (Mailchimp benchmark, 2024)
04
1.7% average landing page conversion rate (Unbounce benchmark, 2023)
05
4.2% median social ad CTR for publishers (Meta Ads benchmarks, 2024)
06
0.33% median display ad CTR (Google/IAB benchmark study, 2023)
07
45% of publishers reported that email campaigns generate the highest engagement among owned channels (2023)
08
37% of marketers say conversion rate is a key metric tracked weekly (2024)
09
42% of marketers report they use first-party data to measure campaign performance (2024)
Interpretation
Performance Metrics Interpretation
Publishers are seeing performance gains when campaigns are optimized for measurable outcomes, with personalized email campaigns driving 2.0x higher ROAS and even broad benchmarks showing conversion and engagement levels like a 1.7% average landing page conversion rate and a 4.2% median social ad CTR.
05 · Category
Market Size7 stats
01
$1.2 billion global market size for marketing attribution software in 2024
02
$3.1 billion global market size for email marketing software in 2024
03
$5.0 billion global market size for marketing automation software in 2024
04
$2.6 billion global market size for influencer marketing platforms in 2024
05
12.2% average annual growth rate (CAGR) is projected for the global eBook market from 2024 to 2029
06
10.5% year-over-year increase in U.S. children's book revenue in 2023
07
2.4% year-over-year increase in U.S. audiobook revenue in 2023
Interpretation
Market Size Interpretation
For the market size angle, publishing marketing is showing strong expansion signals as 2024 spending spans $1.2 billion in attribution software, $3.1 billion in email marketing software, and $5.0 billion in marketing automation software, alongside $2.6 billion for influencer marketing platforms.
report visual · Comparison
Publishing marketing momentum: spend increases and key priorities
Publishers and marketers are increasing digital and channel-specific marketing efforts, while personalization and measurement remain central priorities.
49% of marketers say their organization is increasing spend on paid media in 202449%
43% of publishers plan to increase digital marketing spend in 2024 (survey)43%
43% of publishers said they plan to increase email marketing spend in 2024 (publisher survey, 2024)43%
37% of marketers say conversion rate is a key metric tracked weekly (2024)37%
33% of publishers cite personalization as a top marketing priority (2024 survey)33%
24% of publishers report using generative AI to support marketing tasks (2024 survey)24%
source-verifiedeconomist.com · salesforce.com · publishersweekly.com · statista.com · marketingcharts.com · hubspot.com2024
Reference
Cite This Report
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APA
James Okoro. (2026, February 13). Marketing In The Publishing Industry Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/marketing-in-the-publishing-industry-statistics
MLA
James Okoro. "Marketing In The Publishing Industry Statistics." Gitnux, 13 Feb 2026, https://gitnux.org/marketing-in-the-publishing-industry-statistics.
Chicago
James Okoro. 2026. "Marketing In The Publishing Industry Statistics." Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/marketing-in-the-publishing-industry-statistics.
Sources & references
30 datasets cited across this report · attribution is report-level
+12 additional datasets cited (not shown individually)