UK ebook purchases drop to lowest point since 2012

UK ebook purchases dropped to their lowest point since 2012 last year after a record 2020, reports the Bookseller.

The data from Nielsen BookData, however, shows that the estimated spending on ebooks remains above 2012, 2013 and 2019 levels due to the higher prices being paid. It shows that 80 million ebooks were downloaded in 2021, with one in every five books purchased being an ebook—worth a total of 13% of overall market value. This figure was down from 95 million in 2020.

On the other hand, print book sales kept pace with the gains made in 2020 and audiobooks again hit record numbers in 2021.

The ebook share of fiction fell to 43%, which is still ahead of the format’s overall market share but down from 50% in the previous year, with a decline across all fiction genres. However, a number of categories still remain more likely to be bought digitally, with the highest ebook shares found in erotic fiction (61%), romance (59%), adventure/war stories (50%), crime & thriller (47%), historical (44%) and science fiction (44%).

Ebooks accounted for 12% of nonfiction sales, which matches 2019 levels, and just 3% of the children’s market—down slightly from 4% from 2018–2020.

Category: International news