More readers purchased e-books in 2024 than years past

There is no doubt that 2024 was a stacked year for new e-reading hardware. From Kobo to Kindle to Boox to Remarkable to Supernote, it felt like everyone had a new E Ink device last year, and with new hardware, new e-book sales are a given. This is essentially Amazon’s business model with the Kindle, which is sold at a subsidized price to make up the difference through e-book sales. Kobo is similar, and with both of these heavy hitters offering a handful of new devices in 2024, learning that e-book sales were up in the US by 2.9% last year isn’t too shocking, but it’s great to see a growing market all the same.

Digital book sales aren’t the only thing that’s up

Physical saw even more growth than digital year-to-year

Thanks to a report from Good e-Reader based on data from the American Publishers Association StatShot, we know that not only were digital book sales up for 2024 in the US, but physical sales saw plenty of growth, too, with Hardback revenues up 7.4% and Paperback up 4.2%. It would seem almost everyone was reading more in 2024. Still, not everything grew, with Mass Market books down 13.7%, perhaps pointing to a lack of interest in the smaller run-of-the-mill physical paperbacks, which could explain digital’s growth filling some of that void, especially when Special Bindings were up 4.7%, showcasing it isn’t the price that’s the issue, but perhaps the medium.

All in all, 2024 was clearly a good year for readers, whether they enjoy digital or physical books; with a slew of new e-readers and E Ink devices at our disposal, it’s easier than ever to read your books digitally, and even if that’s not your bag and prefer physical books for their feel, smell, and collectability, well, the market is still catering to your needs with even more growth than the digital side, which could mean good things for all readers in 2025 with a market on the rise.