Book publishing statistics at a glance
Book publishing is not moving in a single direction. The latest numbers show a market that is expanding overall, but with very different stories depending on geography, format, and channel.
- U.S. publishing revenue reached $32.5 billion in calendar year 2024, up 4.1% from $31.3 billion in 2023 (AAP StatShot Annual 2024).
- Online retail was the largest channel in the U.S. at $12 billion in 2024 (AAP StatShot Annual 2024).
- Print formats still accounted for more than half of the overall market in each of the five years covered by the annual report (AAP StatShot Annual 2024).
- Digital audio revenue has increased nearly 80% since 2020 (AAP StatShot Annual 2024).
Table of contents
- U.S. publishing market size
- What formats are growing
- Monthly 2024 AAP snapshots
- Canada, the UK, and employment data
- How to read the numbers
U.S. publishing market size
The broadest signal in the data is simple: the U.S. publishing market grew in 2024. AAP StatShot Annual 2024 reported that U.S. publishing revenue totaled $32.5 billion in calendar year 2024, compared with $31.3 billion in 2023. That is a year-over-year increase of 4.1% (AAP StatShot Annual 2024).
For a market this size, a 4.1% gain matters because it suggests expansion even after years of format shifts and channel changes. The same annual report also said online retail was the largest channel at $12 billion in 2024 (AAP StatShot Annual 2024). That keeps digital commerce at the center of book discovery and book purchasing, even while print remains dominant in the aggregate.
Fast facts
- Total U.S. publishing revenue: $32.5 billion in 2024 (AAP StatShot Annual 2024).
- Prior-year U.S. publishing revenue: $31.3 billion in 2023 (AAP StatShot Annual 2024).
- Largest U.S. channel: online retail at $12 billion in 2024 (AAP StatShot Annual 2024).
- Print formats remained more than half of the overall market in each of the five years covered by the report (AAP StatShot Annual 2024).
What the annual trend suggests
The annual report points to a market that is no longer defined only by print versus digital. Instead, the more useful question is where revenue is being created and which formats are getting stronger inside each channel. Print still matters, but digital audio and online retail are large enough to shape the overall trajectory. The report’s note that digital audio revenue increased nearly 80% since 2020 shows that some parts of the market are compounding faster than the industry average (AAP StatShot Annual 2024).
What formats are growing
Format data is where the picture becomes more detailed. Across the U.S. and monthly AAP reports, some categories are clearly outperforming others. That makes format-level statistics especially useful for publishers, editors, marketers, and booksellers who need to decide where attention should go next.
| Format or segment | Statistic | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Digital audio | Increased nearly 80% since 2020 | AAP StatShot Annual 2024 |
| Online retail | $12 billion in 2024 | AAP StatShot Annual 2024 |
| Print formats | More than half of the overall market across the five-year annual window | AAP StatShot Annual 2024 |
| Hardback revenue, December 2024 | $560.1 million, up 23.7% | AAP December 2024 StatShot Report |
| Paperback revenue, December 2024 | $171.0 million, up 11.6% | AAP December 2024 StatShot Report |
| eBook revenue, December 2024 | $51.6 million, up 0.7% | AAP December 2024 StatShot Report |
| Digital audio revenue, December 2024 | $51.3 million, up 13.4% | AAP December 2024 StatShot Report |
The table shows a few useful patterns. Hardback and paperback both posted solid December gains, while eBooks were nearly flat and digital audio continued to rise (AAP December 2024 StatShot Report). That combination suggests the market is not simply shifting from print to digital in a straight line. Instead, multiple formats can grow at once, but with very different rates.
Why digital audio stands out
Digital audio appears repeatedly as one of the strongest format stories in the dataset. AAP’s annual report said digital audio revenue had increased nearly 80% since 2020 (AAP StatShot Annual 2024). Monthly reports reinforce that momentum. In December 2024, digital audio revenue was $51.3 million, up 13.4% (AAP December 2024 StatShot Report). Earlier in 2024, digital audio showed even sharper spikes in some months, including April, when revenue reached $100.0 million, up 54.6% (AAP April 2024 StatShot Report), and July, when revenue reached $109.8 million, up 57.7% (AAP July 2024 StatShot Report).
Those moves do not mean audio is the largest format by revenue in every period. They do mean that audio is one of the clearest growth engines in the publishing mix.
Why print still matters
Print remains structurally important. AAP said print formats accounted for more than half of the overall market in each of the five years covered by the annual report (AAP StatShot Annual 2024). That is a strong reminder that, even with a growing digital layer, the physical book is still the backbone of the category.
The monthly data also shows print holding meaningful scale. In December 2024, hardback revenue was $560.1 million, up 23.7%, and paperback revenue was $171.0 million, up 11.6% (AAP December 2024 StatShot Report). Earlier in the year, trade books saw hardback revenue of $733.2 million in the first quarter, down 4.9%, while paperback revenue was $756.1 million, down 3.4% (AAP Q1 2024 StatShot Report). That contrast suggests format leadership can move around inside a year even when the overall market grows.
Monthly 2024 AAP snapshots
The monthly StatShot reports are valuable because they show the market breathing month by month rather than only as a year-end total. Several of the 2024 reports point to a generally positive environment, but the strengths are not uniform.
First quarter
AAP’s first-quarter 2024 report said overall industry revenue was flat, up 0.2% (AAP Q1 2024 StatShot Report). That is a calm start to the year at the top line. But the trade segment was weaker, with consumer book sales down 2.8% to $2.1 billion (AAP Q1 2024 StatShot Report). Within trade, hardback revenue was $733.2 million, down 4.9%, and paperback revenue was $756.1 million, down 3.4% (AAP Q1 2024 StatShot Report). Mass market revenue dropped to $31.0 million, down 25.7%, and special bindings were $48.5 million, down 7.8% (AAP Q1 2024 StatShot Report).
Even in that softer quarter, the digital formats were growing. First-quarter eBook revenue was $15.2 million, up 6.6%, and digital audio revenue was $12.7 million, up 9.5% (AAP Q1 2024 StatShot Report). That is an important clue: weakness in parts of print did not stop digital from advancing.
Spring and summer momentum
AAP’s April 2024 report said the overall industry was up 18.3% for the month (AAP April 2024 StatShot Report). Year-to-date publishing revenue through April 2024 was $4.1 billion, up 4.2% (AAP April 2024 StatShot Report). April also brought strong format gains: eBook revenue was $83.1 million, up 16.8%; digital audio revenue was $100.0 million, up 54.6%; hardback revenue was $40.5 million, up 41.5%; and paperback revenue was $12.7 million, up 38.5% (AAP April 2024 StatShot Report).
AAP’s July 2024 report said the overall industry was up 18.1% for the month (AAP July 2024 StatShot Report). Year-to-date publishing revenue through July 2024 was up 7.6% (AAP July 2024 StatShot Report). That month, eBook revenue was $89.7 million, up 5.1%, digital audio revenue was $109.8 million, up 57.7%, and religious press revenue was $63.4 million, up 32.1% (AAP July 2024 StatShot Report).
Late-year monthly comparison
AAP’s August 2024 report said the overall industry was up 8.5% for the month, with year-to-date publishing revenue through August 2024 up 7.8% (AAP August 2024 StatShot Report). September 2024 showed the overall industry up 2.4% for the month and year-to-date publishing revenue up 7.0% through September (AAP September 2024 StatShot Report). October 2024 showed the overall industry up 8.3% for the month and year-to-date publishing revenue up 7.1% through October (AAP October 2024 StatShot Report). November 2024 then showed the overall industry up 10.3% for the month and year-to-date publishing revenue up 7.3% through November (AAP November 2024 StatShot Report).
That sequence matters because it shows the industry ending the year with steady positive momentum rather than a single isolated spike.
Canada, the UK, and employment data
The U.S. data is the largest piece of the picture, but the other country reports add useful context. They show how publishing can grow while margin pressure, channel shifts, and format mix remain in play.
Canada
Statistics Canada reported that Canadian book publishers’ operating revenue reached $1.7 billion in 2024, up 3.1% or $51.6 million from 2022 (Statistics Canada Book publishing industry, 2024). Operating expenses rose faster, up 6.8% or $101.7 million to $1.6 billion in 2024 (Statistics Canada Book publishing industry, 2024). That pushed the operating profit margin down from 9.1% in 2022 to 5.8% in 2024 (Statistics Canada Book publishing industry, 2024).
Canada’s sales mix is also worth watching. Total book sales increased 3.3% to $1.4 billion in 2024 (Statistics Canada Book publishing industry, 2024). E-book sales rose 15.0% from 2022 to $376.0 million in 2024 (Statistics Canada Book publishing industry, 2024). Internet sales of print titles edged up 1.0% to $178.6 million in 2024, while print titles not purchased online still made up 59.6% of total book sales and fell 0.9% to $817.0 million (Statistics Canada Book publishing industry, 2024).
A compact comparison helps show the balance of the market:
| Canada measure | 2024 result | Direction |
|---|---|---|
| Operating revenue | $1.7 billion | Up 3.1% from 2022 |
| Operating expenses | $1.6 billion | Up 6.8% from 2022 |
| Operating profit margin | 5.8% | Down from 9.1% in 2022 |
| Total book sales | $1.4 billion | Up 3.3% |
| E-book sales | $376.0 million | Up 15.0% from 2022 |
| Print titles not purchased online | $817.0 million | 59.6% of total sales |
Canada also shows that not every participant benefits equally. Bookstore sales of print books increased 1.4% to $358.2 million in 2024, major chain bookstores posted a 6.8% increase, and independent bookstores had a 0.3% decline (Statistics Canada Book publishing industry, 2024). Sales by foreign authors increased 9.9% to $702.8 million and represented 51.2% of total Canadian book sales (Statistics Canada Book publishing industry, 2024). Sales by Canadian authors fell 2.9% from 2022 to $668.8 million in 2024 (Statistics Canada Book publishing industry, 2024).
United Kingdom
The Publishers Association said UK publishing revenue was up 1% to Ł7.2 billion in 2024 (Publishers Association: Publishing in 2024). Export market revenue was up 3% and accounted for 63% of publishing revenue, equal to Ł4.5 billion (Publishers Association: Publishing in 2024). Print revenue was down 3%, while digital revenue was up 6% (Publishers Association: Publishing in 2024).
Consumer publishing was a stronger pocket of the market. UK consumer publishing revenue was up 5% in 2024, and consumer total volume or net units rose 5% to 696 million units (Publishers Association: Publishing in 2024). Consumer home market revenue was up 2% to Ł1 billion, while consumer export market revenue was up 9% to Ł1.5 billion (Publishers Association: Publishing in 2024). Fiction revenue was up 18% to over Ł1 billion, and audio downloads revenue was up 31% to Ł268 million (Publishers Association: Publishing in 2024).
At the same time, non-fiction revenue was down 4% to Ł1.1 billion, children’s revenue was flat at Ł780 million, and print still accounted for 78% of UK consumer revenue (Publishers Association: Publishing in 2024). That mix resembles the broader pattern in the U.S. and Canada: the category can grow, but the gains are uneven across segments.
Employment and operating structure
The U.S. labor data gives another angle on the industry. BLS QCEW book publishers employment series shows that U.S. book publishers had 61,919 jobs in Q1 2016 and 51,450 jobs in Q2 2020, a 17% decline (BLS QCEW book publishers employment series). Over the same series, average weekly wage rose from $1,662 in Q1 2016 to $1,720 in Q2 2020 (BLS QCEW book publishers employment series). The number of establishments increased from 3,735 to 3,822 in that period (BLS QCEW book publishers employment series).
That combination is useful because it suggests a sector with fewer jobs, slightly higher wages, and a somewhat larger footprint of establishments. It fits a world where publishing work can be reorganized even while revenue and format diversity persist.
How to read the numbers
These book publishing statistics do not point to one simple winner. They point to a category that is broad, resilient, and uneven.
Three takeaways that matter most
- Revenue is still growing in the largest markets, with U.S. publishing revenue reaching $32.5 billion in 2024 (AAP StatShot Annual 2024).
- Print is still central, but digital audio and online retail are major growth vectors (AAP StatShot Annual 2024).
- International data shows the same basic structure: growth can coexist with margin pressure, format shifts, and channel competition (Statistics Canada Book publishing industry, 2024; Publishers Association: Publishing in 2024).
What this means for publishers and readers
For publishers, the data argues for a segmented view of the market rather than a single forecast. A strategy built only around one format will miss the fact that hardback, paperback, audio, and eBook categories can move differently in the same year. For readers, the numbers explain why the book market can feel both stable and changing at the same time. Print remains huge, yet digital listening and online buying continue to reshape how books are discovered and consumed.
The simplest reading of the dataset
If you want one sentence to summarize the current state of book publishing, it is this: The industry is growing, but the growth is spread unevenly across channels and formats, with print still dominant and digital audio among the fastest-rising segments (AAP StatShot Annual 2024; AAP December 2024 StatShot Report).