Preferred Reading Trends Amid COVID-19 Pandemic in March 2020
Brace yourselves, bookworms! The global book market has been flipping pages like never before in this turbulent year, all thanks to the pandemic. Traditional publishing houses might be feeling the pandemic pinch, but for you, it means more books, digital books!
Digging into 2020's book market trends and glory
Due to lockdowns and a general migration indoors, people are consuming more digital entertainment, and books are no exception. With cinemas shuttered and outdoor activities nixed, folks are turning to books, movies, video games, and everything in between for a much-needed distraction.
Want to stay ahead of the curve? Here's a sneak peek at what's selling like hotcakes in the digital market right now. Not only will it give you the lowdown on what's trendy, but it'll also help you make informed decisions for your publishing business.
We'll update this data every 20th of the month, so stay tuned to keep up with the latest developments in the world of books. Now, let's dive right in!
You've got nothing to lose – free e-publishing on our website!
Whether it's your first e-book or you've been around the block a few times, you can get started with us for FREE! If you wanna try our premium plans, remember, it's a win-win – we'll give you your money back if you're not satisfied.
Give us your email for a FREE global book market report
But first, a quick disclaimer: our database and book sales don't encompass the entire global market, but we do have a trove of data to work with. We crunched over 10,000 authors' and publishers' e-book sales data, sold in over 400 stores and thousands of digital libraries. This report includes only e-book sales data, and we'll be adding print and audio formats soon.
Now that we've covered the basics, let's get to the fun stuff!
Book sales are booming like never before
In these trying times, people are embracing digital entertainment and books are no exception. Online book sales on our platform surged by more than 20% from February to March 2020, and Q1 2020 saw over 10% growth compared to Q4 2019 – incredible numbers considering that Q4 typically brings in over 30% of the whole year's sales! With a projected 30% increase in sales based on initial data, we're looking at a very bright future for book sales.
Best-selling indie author Quinn Loftis summed it up nicely: "When you're selling 5,000 books a month at 10% versus a flat fee of 100 bucks, that's sort of a no-brainer...We can use our website, save a ton of money, and still reach the same audience and actually a bigger audience which is awesome too. When I first heard about that, I almost thought it was too good to be true."
Non-fiction and children's books are selling like hotcakes
Over the past few months, our website's bestseller list has been dominated by fiction, with romance, fantasy, and thriller genres reigning supreme. But that's not all; self-help books also performed strongly in the non-fiction category.
Consumer habits have shifted drastically during the pandemic, with more people staying home as a result of lockdowns in many countries. Without travel, school, and other activities, we've seen a notable increase in online book purchases.
Take a peek at the top 30 best-selling book genres on our platform, based on growth from March 2020 to February 2020. Notice the bigger spikes in these genres: Fantasy, Literature, Classics, Foreign Language Study, Mystery, Fantasy & Magic, Science Fiction, Historical, Education, and Action & Adventure. We can see that a younger generation, fans of short stories and educational content, are embracing books during the pandemic.
International book sales are rising rapidly
Our platform boasts a strong presence in the US market but also offers publishers a vast international reach, particularly for English language books. As countries reacted to the pandemic with different lockdown measures, we've seen new markets emerge for English language content, with the following countries leading the pack:
- The United States - consistent top performer based on sales value
- The United Kingdom - still growing month by month
- Germany
- France
- Italy
- Spain
- South Africa
- Mexico
- Denmark
- Japan
- Austria
- Switzerland
- China
- Philippines
Trends in sales by business model
Book royalties don't just come from selling a copy to a consumer anymore. Here's a breakdown of different revenue sources:
- Retail (e.g., Amazon, Apple Books, Barnes & Noble, Google Play Books, Kobo)
- Subscription services (e.g., Scribd, Bookmate, Dreame)
- Digital library providers (e.g., OverDrive, Bibliotheca, Mackin, Odilo)
- Regional stores (e.g., Tolino, Chinese stores, Hungarian outlets, German network)
With traditional retail in mind, many folks limit their book sales to Amazon. But there's a huge community of readers waiting for you on other platforms! 56% of our website's e-book sales come from retail, while the other 44% comes from subscription business models (32%), libraries (3%), and regional stores (8%). The percentage of book sales coming from subscription services, digital libraries, and regional stores has increased in the past couple of years, showing a shift in reader preferences.
Revenue growth by bestselling categories and countries may vary based on the platform
Different countries prefer different types of books, so we dug deeper into our data to discover interesting growth rates for specific stores, based on country or content:
- Amazon in France and Spain saw a huge jump of over 2x compared to February. Psychological thrillers, science fiction, business/economics, history, educational, and self-help titles experienced the most significant boom. Books related to the African American culture also sold exceptionally well.
- Apple Books caters to a diverse audience of iOS users in over 51 countries. We've noticed boosts in English-speaking countries, such as the UK and US, with over 30% growth, while Canada saw an increase of 50%, and New Zealand's sales climbed by 3x. The most popular category continues to be romance, but surprisingly, non-fiction categories have seen the highest growth rate: Business, Health, Self-Help, Biographies, and Study Aids. Other European countries like Italy or Switzerland have seen a 2x increase in book sales, mainly in fiction categories.
- Google Play Books has over 76 local stores and reaches over 2 billion potential readers on Android phones or tablets. Prices play a significant role in sales on this platform; lower-priced books typically perform better. Since February, we've noticed a notable increase in the US and UK, with over 50% growth in sales value. France and Germany showed an increase of over 50% as well. Interestingly, Poland experienced a 3x increase in sales since February, particularly in the fantasy, thriller, historical fiction, and non-fiction titles like business or health.
The adventure is far from over, folks! Keep an eye on our updates to stay in the know and make the most of this booming digital book market. Happy reading!
Amidst the global book market's unprecedented growth, various genres are garnering attention, such as fashion-and-beauty, lifestyle, entertainment, and books from the non-fiction category, including self-help and educational titles. With people's increased interest in digital entertainment, our platform has seen a surge in book sales, with a 20% increase from February to March 2020 and a 10% growth compared to Q4 2019. Continuously exploring trends can help individuals make informed decisions and stay ahead of the curve in the budding digital publishing world.
As international book sales continue to rise, our platform has established a strong presence in countries such as the United States, United Kingdom, Germany, France, Italy, Spain, South Africa, Mexico, Denmark, Japan, and many more, offering publishers a far-reaching platform for English language books. Understanding these trends and finding the right balance between retail, subscription services, digital libraries, and regional stores can lead to significant revenue growth and success in the ever-evolving digital book market.
