Table of Contents
Executive Summary
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- The market
- Print book market continues to grow
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- Figure 1: Value of consumer print book market sales, 2014-24
- Slight turnaround for digital books
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- Figure 2: Publisher UK sales of consumer digital books (net invoiced value), 2014-24
- Great year for non-fiction print books
- Key players
- Eleanor takes the crown in 2018
- Waterstones makes acquisitions
- Apple revamps iBooks as Apple Books
- The consumer
- Increase in number of people buying books
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- Figure 3: Book buying habits, April 2018 and May 2019
- 16-34s nearly as likely to read e-books as print books
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- Figure 4: Devices used for e-books and audiobooks, April 2018 and May 2019
- More digital readers/listeners are using a subscription
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- Figure 5: E-book paid-for subscriptions, April 2018 and May 2019
- Figure 6: Audiobook paid-for subscriptions, April 2018 and May 2019
- Home is the main location people listen to audiobooks
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- Figure 7: Occasions when people listen to audiobooks, May 2019
- Dislike for reading on devices is main barrier for e-books
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- Figure 8: Reasons for not buying e-books, May 2019
- Familiarity with author the main driver of book choice
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- Figure 9: Reasons for buying books, May 2019
- Only one in four would give an e-book as a gift
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- Figure 10: Interest in giving books as gifts, May 2019
- Bookstores have a lot of goodwill
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- Figure 11: Attitudes towards buying books, May 2019
- What we think
Issues and Insights
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- People want to support chain bookstores nearly as much as independent ones
- The facts
- The implications
- Interactive audiobooks could be next opportunity
- The facts
- The implications
- Apple could challenge Amazon’s dominance with cross-media subscriptions
- The facts
- The implications
The Market – What You Need to Know
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- Print book market grows in 2018
- Slight turnaround for digital books
- Waterstones makes acquisitions
- Waterstones staff call for living wage
- Independent bookshops grow in number for second year
- UK government faces calls to remove VAT on e-books
- Microsoft closes e-book store
- Great year for non-fiction print books
Market Size and Forecast
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- Print book market continues to grow
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- Figure 12: Value of consumer print book market sales, 2014-24
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- Figure 13: Value of consumer print book market sales, 2014-24
- Slight turnaround for digital books
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- Figure 14: Publisher UK sales of consumer digital books (net invoiced value), 2014-24
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- Figure 15: Publisher UK sales of digital consumer books (net invoiced value), 2014-24
- Value of audiobooks growing rapidly
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- Figure 16: Publisher sales of digital consumer books, by format (net invoiced value), 2014-18
- Forecast methodology
Market Segmentation
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- Great year for non-fiction print books
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- Figure 17: Value of consumer market print book sales, by type of book, 2014-18
- Fiction and non-fiction consumer digital books grow in 2018
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- Figure 18: Publisher UK sales of consumer digital books, by category (net invoiced value), 2014-18
Market Drivers
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- Waterstones makes acquisitions to “champion” bookstores…
- Foyles
- Barnes & Noble
- …while facing staff petition for living wage
- Independent bookshops grow in number for second year
- UK government faces calls to remove VAT on e-books
- Charity calls on government to promote reading as way of combatting loneliness
- Microsoft closes e-book store
Companies and Brands – What You Need to Know
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- Apple revamps iBooks as Apple Books
- Amazon creates e-book gift option
- Amazon opens pop-up shops but not yet bookshops
- PRH boosts e-book sales by 27%
- Eleanor takes the crown in 2018
- Stephen Fry’s Mythos is top Audible audiobook
Market Share
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- Eleanor takes the crown in 2018
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- Figure 19: Top 10 consumer print books, by volume, 2018
- Stephen Fry’s Mythos is top Audible audiobook
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- Figure 20: Top 20 audiobook downloads from Audible, 2018
- PRH boosts e-book sales by 27%
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- Figure 21: Volume of UK e-book paid-for download sales, by ‘big five’ publishers, 2018
Launch Activity and Innovation
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- Apple revamps iBooks as Apple Books
- Digital book services produce more original content
- Audible offers free Originals to members
- Apple Books publishes exclusive audiobooks
- Scribd launches Scribd Originals
- Amazon creates e-book gift option
- Apple Books introduces reading goals
- Patterson explores storytelling on Facebook Messenger
- Amazon opens pop-up shops but not yet bookshops
The Consumer – What You Need to Know
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- Increase in number of people buying books
- More digital readers/listeners are using a subscription
- Home is the main location people listen to audiobooks
- Only one in four would give an e-book as a gift
- Familiarity with author the main driver of book choice
- Two in five are not buying e-books because they don’t have an e-reader
- People want to support bookstores
- Nearly half of print buyers have bought from an independent bookstore
Book Buying Habits
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- Increase in number of people buying books
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- Figure 22: Book buying habits (net), April 2018 and May 2019
- Figure 23: Book buying habits, April 2018 and May 2019
Reading Habits and Devices Used
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- 16-34s nearly as likely to read e-books as print books
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- Figure 24: Devices used for e-books and audiobooks, April 2018 and May 2019
- More digital readers/listeners are using a subscription
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- Figure 25: E-book paid-for subscriptions, April 2018 and May 2019
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- Figure 26: Audiobook paid-for subscriptions, April 2018 and May 2019
- Will Apple introduce a book subscription service?
Audiobook Listening Occasions
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- Home is the main location people listen to audiobooks
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- Figure 27: Occasions when people listen to audiobooks, May 2019
- Gamification could help boost out-of-home listening
Reasons for Buying Books
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- Familiarity with author the main driver of book choice
- One in four buy books they see on display
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- Figure 28: Reasons for buying books, May 2019
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- Figure 29: Reasons for buying books, by age, May 2019
- Younger people influenced by a greater variety of factors when buying a book
- BuzzFeed partners with Amazon to encourage greater online discussion
Reasons for Not Buying E-books
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- Dislike for reading on devices is main barrier for e-books
- Two in five are not buying e-books because they don’t have an e-reader
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- Figure 30: Reasons for not buying e-books, May 2019
- Many want to be able to give books to others
- One in 10 are concerned about lack of permanent ownership
Books as Gifts
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- Only one in four would give an e-book as a gift
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- Figure 31: Interest in giving books as gifts, May 2019
- Amazon looks to boost e-book gifting
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- Figure 32: Interest in giving books as gifts, by age, May 2019
Attitudes towards Bookstores
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- People enjoy browsing bookstores
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- Figure 33: Attitudes towards buying books, May 2019
- Bookstore chains have to be careful not to undermine goodwill
- Nearly half of print buyers have bought from an independent bookstore
- Finding a niche
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- Figure 34: Purchasing from independent bookstores, May 2019
Appendix – Data Sources, Abbreviations and Supporting Information
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- Abbreviations
- Consumer research methodology
Appendix – Market Size and Forecast
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- Market forecasts
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- Figure 35: Value of consumer print book market sales, 2019-24
- Figure 36: Publisher UK sales of consumer digital books (net invoiced value), 2019-24
- Forecast methodology
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