We independently review all recommendations. Purchases made through our links may earn us an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works.
You know, for a while, it seemed like eBook sales were kind of stuck in a rut—but guess what? They’re making a comeback. In September 2024, eBook revenues jumped 4.0% compared to last year, hitting $90.5 million. Not bad, right? Even better, if you look at the whole year so far, eBook sales are up 3.6%, bringing in a solid $777.9 million. Maybe people are finally embracing digital books more, or maybe it’s just easier to tap and download instead of carrying around a stack of paperbacks. Either way, if you’re in the market for a good deal, you’ll probably want to keep an eye on the Black Friday Kindle Deals.
And speaking of digital, audiobooks are absolutely crushing it. Sales shot up a ridiculous 28.1% in September alone, pulling in $89.7 million. For the year? A whopping $796.9 million so far. Meanwhile, physical audio formats (yep, those still exist) are pretty much on life support. Sales tanked 51.1% in September, leaving them with a measly $800,000 in revenue. It’s like watching CDs fade into oblivion all over again.
Now, physical books aren’t going anywhere just yet, but they’re having a mixed year. Hardcovers are holding strong, climbing 3.2% in September and bringing in $400.1 million. Paperbacks, though? Not so lucky. Sales dropped 12.6%, down to $263.2 million. And mass market paperbacks—those little pocket-sized books you see at airports—are really struggling, down a brutal 22.1% to just $9.1 million. Special bindings (think fancy collector’s editions) are hanging in there, only dipping 1.0% to $27.2 million.
Zooming out to the big picture, hardcover sales are actually thriving, up 7.2% for the year, matching paperback revenue at $2.4 billion each. But mass market books are still sinking, down 18.5% to $91.0 million. Meanwhile, special bindings are quietly making gains, up 4.7% to $160.2 million.
So, what does this mean? People are moving more to digital. This is not a shock. eBooks and audiobooks are becoming popular, and publishers see this. We will see more money going into digital platforms and ideas, like TikTok getting into print books. Microsoft is also getting into publishing. The book world is changing quickly, and it is fun to watch.
