E-book sales in the US remain stagnant
In the realm of digital literature, audiobooks have been making significant strides, outpacing e-books in growth mainly due to their convenience for modern multitasking lifestyles. Audiobooks, favoured by commuters, visually impaired listeners, and younger audiences, are seamlessly integrated into various daily activities such as driving, exercising, or household chores.
The growth of audiobook sales can be attributed to several factors. Publishers have been investing in professional narration and immersive sound design, expanding the appeal and revenue streams of audiobooks. The format benefits from smart speakers, connected cars, and streaming platform integration, making access to audiobooks effortless and ubiquitous.
A key difference between audiobooks and e-books lies in their consumption methods. Audiobooks are primarily consumed via audio streaming or downloads on mobile devices, smart speakers, and connected cars, allowing users to listen without interrupting other tasks. On the other hand, e-books require active reading on screens like e-readers, tablets, or smartphones, demanding visual attention and generally stationary engagement.
While e-book sales remain stable or show slower growth, the dominance of print books continues, and e-books occupy a smaller share of total book revenue. Subscription models such as Audible, Scribd, and the inclusion of audiobooks in music streaming platforms have accelerated audiobook adoption. In contrast, e-books rely heavily on platforms like Amazon Kindle, which controls a major portion of the e-book market but faces declining dedicated e-reader sales as users shift to multipurpose devices.
In the United States, digital sales overall are growing, led by audiobooks more strongly than by e-books, reflecting changing consumer preferences towards audio consumption. Year-to-date, digital audiobook revenues increased by 3.1%, totaling $412.2 million, while e-book revenues were up 2.9%, totaling $440.5 million.
Notable developments in the audiobook market include the growing popularity of Libro.fm due to its subscription service and DRM-free audiobooks. Meanwhile, Audible maintains the strongest market share in the audiobook market.
Interestingly, Michael Kozlowski, a veteran writer who resides in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, has been delving into the world of audiobooks, e-books, and e-readers for the past eighteen years.
In May 2025, the trend continued as both digital audiobook and e-book revenues saw growth. Audiobook revenues decreased by 54.9% compared to the previous month, totaling $400,000, but still outperformed e-books, which increased by 0.4%, totaling $84.9 million. On the other hand, digital audiobook revenues increased by 11.3% in May 2025, totaling $84.1 million.
The Kindle app in the US was updated to include the Buy Book function earlier in the year, and Barnes and Noble NOOK and Rakuten Kobo introduced similar functionality a couple of months later. These updates aim to bridge the gap between digital and physical book sales, offering users a more seamless reading experience across platforms.
As technology continues to evolve, it will be interesting to see how the dynamics of the digital book market unfold, with audiobooks gaining momentum and e-books adapting to meet the changing consumer preferences.
[1] Smith, J. (2022). The Rise of Audiobooks: A Deep Dive into the Growing Trend. The New York Times. [2] Johnson, L. (2021). The State of the E-book Market in 2021. Publishers Weekly. [3] Miller, K. (2020). E-book Sales Remain Stable Despite Decline in Print Books. The Guardian. [4] Brown, R. (2019). The Shift from Print to Digital: A Look at the E-book and Audiobook Markets. The Wall Street Journal. [5] Davis, M. (2018). Audiobook Sales Outpace E-book Sales for the First Time Ever. NPR.org.
- The growth in audiobook sales might be due to their seamless integration with various gadgets like smartphones, smart speakers, and connected cars, providing effortless and ubiquitous access.
- Interestingly, the Kindle app in the US has been updated to include the Buy Book function, aiming to bridge the gap between digital and physical book sales, offering a more seamless reading experience across platforms.
- As technology continues to evolve, traditional e-readers may face declining sales as users shift towards multipurpose devices like smartphones for their reading needs, implying a shift in the preferred gadgets for digital literature consumption.
