Nielsen reports slight growth in US ebook market share in 2014

In the US, a Nielsen Books & Consumers survey has found the ebooks market share of overall book sales increased slightly in 2014 over 2013, reports Publishers Weekly. Ebooks accounted for 15% of spending on all new books, including frontlist and backlist titles, in 2014, which is up from 12% in 2013. Ebooks also made up 21% of unit sales—up one percent on 2013—which indicates that although ebooks remain cheaper than print titles, their prices are increasing. Audiobook sales accounted for three percent of total spending, up from one percent in 2013; print sales accounted for 70%; and ‘other’ formats accounted for 12%. The online retail channel accounted for 35% of all new book sales (print and digital) in 2014, down from 38% in 2013. Bookstore chains’ share of book sales dropped from 25% to 22% and independent booksellers’ share dropped from 5% to 4% over the same period. Book clubs, which includes Audible, and ‘other’ channels each increased their share of sales

Category: International news