This article was written with the help of AI/Search.
According to a report by **WordsRated**, the Big Five publishing houses (Penguin Random House, Hachette, HarperCollins, Macmillan, and Simon & Schuster) are responsible for publishing between **10% and 20%** of all new titles in a year published through conventional publishers ¹. When we include self-published books, the share of Big Five in global publishing becomes much smaller but still equates to around **2.5%** ¹.
The Big Five publishers generate over **$12 billion per year** from book sales revenue as of 2021 ¹.
According to a report by **WordsRated**, self-published books account for **30-34%** of all ebooks sold, with **300 million** self-published books sold each year. The total revenue generated by self-published books is estimated to be **$1.25 billion** per year¹. Amazon pays **$520 million** in royalties to self-published authors annually¹.
It’s worth noting that the average self-published book sells for **$4.16**, and the average self-published author earns **$1,000** per year from their books¹. However, these figures are just estimates, and the actual revenue generated by self-published eBooks can vary widely depending on various factors such as the genre, quality of writing, marketing efforts, and more.
According to a report by Amazon, over 1,000 indie authors earned more than $100,000 through Amazon’s Kindle Direct Publishing during the year to the end of May 2020 and ‘thousands more independent authors earned more than $50,000.’
According to a recent article by Toner Buzz ¹, printed books outsell eBooks by a ratio of 4 to 1. In the United States, printed book sales amounted to **788.7 million units** in 2022, while eBook sales experienced a **3.7% growth** in January 2023 compared to January 2022, resulting in **$85 million** of generated revenue ¹.
However, eBooks are significantly cheaper than print books, and they make up **36%** of sales in terms of the total number of books sold on Amazon ⁴.
A survey conducted by the Pew Research Center on book consumption and book formats revealed that 68% of younger readers (18 to 29-year-olds) in the United States prefer print books. However, eBook sales in the US are gradually increasing ¹³.
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Source: Conversation with Bing, 10/16/2023
(1) Printed Books vs eBooks Statistics, Trends and Facts [2023]. https://www.tonerbuzz.com/blog/paper-books-vs-ebooks-statistics/.
(2) Amazon Book Sales Statistics – WordsRated. https://wordsrated.com/amazon-book-sales-statistics/.
(3) E-book Sales Decline as Physical Bookstores Reopen – The NPD Group. https://www.npd.com/news/press-releases/2021/2021-ebook-sales-data/.
(4) 23 Gripping Book Industry Statistics [2023]: How Many Books Were …. https://www.zippia.com/advice/us-book-industry-statistics/.
(5) Ebooks Sales Statistics 2023 – WordsRated. https://wordsrated.com/ebooks-sales-statistics/.
Source: Conversation with Bing, 10/16/2023
(1) Self-published Books & Authors Sales Statistics [2023] – WordsRated. https://wordsrated.com/self-published-book-sales-statistics/.
(2) How to make money from eBooks – Save the Student. https://www.savethestudent.org/make-money/make-money-sell-ebooks.html.
(3) How to Make Money Selling Ebooks In 5 Steps – Kotobee Blog. https://blog.kotobee.com/make-money-selling-ebooks/.
Source: Conversation with Bing, 10/16/2023
(1) The Big Five Publishers Statistics – WordsRated. https://wordsrated.com/the-big-five-publishers-statistics/.
(2) Book Publishing Companies Statistics – WordsRated. https://wordsrated.com/book-publishing-companies-statistics/.
(3) What Big 5 Financial Reports Reveal About Traditional Publishing. https://www.bookbusinessmag.com/post/big-5-financial-reports-reveal-state-traditional-book-publishing/.