Books and e-books - UK - June 2017
“The print book revival continues as consumers, young and old, demonstrate an appreciation for being able to tangibly own and read physical content. In contrast, the e-books market has stagnated, indicating that innovation is needed to regenerate excitement around the format and more distinctly distinguish e-books from the currently favoured print option”.
– Rebecca McGrath, Senior Media Analyst
This Report discusses the following key topics:
- The print revival is here to stay
- Audiobooks on the rise as e-books stall
What you get
What's included
- Consumer Attitudes and Behaviour
- Market data
- Competitive analysis
- Risks and Opportunities
- What’s Next
- Market Trends
This market report provides in-depth analysis and insight supported by a range of data. At the same time, introductory and top-level content is provided to give you an overview of the issues covered.
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Market
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Consumer
Mintel's proprietary consumer research provides our analysts with the attitudinal and behavioral data used to provide valuable insight to topical issues.
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Brand/Company
Mintel provides overviews of the top brands and manufacturers, and uses consumer research to explore attitudes and reactions to brands, as well as insight into what will resonate with consumers.
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Data
Market reports provide appendices of data to support the research and insight produced. Our tables of data are easily manipulated and downloadable to support your research needs and covers factors from consumer attitudes to market forecasts.

* This is a sample representation of the report layout and does not reflect the research included in this report.
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Table of contents
Overview
- What you need to know
- Products covered in this Report
- What you need to know
Executive Summary
- The market
- The print revival continues
- Figure 1: Forecast of total consumer book market sales, 2012-22
- Audiobook sales are growing fast
- Major growth for children’s books
- Waterstones announces profits for first time in seven years
- Nook’s e-book customers change hands several times
- Amazon and Audible end exclusivity agreement
- Key players
- Top 20 publishers grow total print sales by 5%
- Harper Collins stands out with e-books sales growth
- Harry Potter once again tops the print sales charts …
- …and dominates top-20 audiobooks
- Amazon introduces ‘unlimited’ reading for Prime members
- The consumer
- Over half of adults bought print books
- Figure 2: Book buying habits, April 2017
- Stores and online are used almost equally to purchase print books
- Figure 3: Online vs in-store purchasing of print books, April 2017
- A smartphone is the most popular reading device for 16-24s
- Figure 4: Devices used for e-books and audiobooks, April 2017
- More than nine in 10 print readers read at home
- Figure 5: Location books are read and listened to, April 2017
- Price threshold lower for e-books
- Figure 6: Price willing to pay for books, April 2017
- People buy print when they are more invested in a book
- Figure 7: Attitudes towards books and e-books, April 2017
- One famous narrator is the preferred option
- Figure 8: Preference for multiple audiobook narrators, April 2017
- Figure 9: Preference for famous audiobook narrators, April 2017
- What we think
Issues and Insights
- The print revival is here to stay
- The facts
- The implications
- Audiobooks on the rise as e-books stall
- The facts
- The implications
- The print revival is here to stay
The Market – What You Need to Know
- The print revival continues
- The e-book market remains stagnant
- Audiobook sales are growing fast
- Major growth for children’s books
- Waterstones announces profits for first time in seven years
- Nook’s e-book customers change hands several times
- Amazon and Audible end exclusivity agreement
- The print revival continues
Market Size and Forecast
- The print revival continues
- Figure 10: Value of consumer book market sales, 2012-22
- Figure 11: Forecast of total consumer book market sales, 2012-22
- Forecasts
- Figure 12: Forecast of total consumer print book market sales, 2012-22
- Figure 13: Forecast of total consumer e-book market sales, 2012-22
- Audiobook sales are growing fast
- The impact of Brexit on book publishing
- Forecast methodology
- The print revival continues
Market Segmentation
- Total print market surpasses 2012 figures
- Figure 14: The UK physical book market end purchase sales by category, 2012-16
- Major growth for children’s books
- Figure 15: Value of consumer market print book sales, by type of book, 2016
- Total print market surpasses 2012 figures
Market Background
- Waterstones announces profits for first time in seven years
- Waterstones defends unbranded stores
- More independent stores close
- Pocket Shop enters UK market by targeting travel hubs
- Libraries face further cuts
- Amazon opens more physical bookstores
- Nook’s e-book customers change hands several times
- Amazon and Audible end exclusivity agreement
- E-reader ownership stalls
- Figure 16: Personal and household e-reader ownership, 2014-16
- EU ruling means e-books can’t have lower sales tax
- Amazon drops investigation into Amazon e-book contracts
- Waterstones announces profits for first time in seven years
Key Players – What You Need to Know
- Top 20 publishers grow total print sales by 5%
- HarperCollins stands out with e-books sales growth
- Harry Potter once again tops the print sales charts…
- …and dominates top-20 audiobooks
- Amazon introduces ‘unlimited’ reading for Prime members
- Independent stores innovate to create a better retail experience
- Netflix gives more focus to literary adaptations
- Amazon introduces new weekly bestsellers list
- Top 20 publishers grow total print sales by 5%
Market Share
- Top publishers grow total print sales
- Figure 17: Value of consumer market print book sales, by top-20 publishers, 2015-16
- HarperCollins stands out with e-books sales growth
- Figure 18: Volume of consumer market e-book sales, by ‘big five’ publishers, 2012-16
- Harry Potter once again tops the print sales charts…
- Figure 19: Top 10 consumer print books, by volume and value, 2016
- …and dominates top-20 audiobooks
- Figure 20: Top 20 audiobook downloads from Audible, 2016
- Top publishers grow total print sales
Launch Activity and Innovation
- Amazon introduces ‘unlimited’ reading for Prime members
- Apple launches enhanced Game of Thrones e-books
- Diversity is given greater focus by publishers
- Amazon UK offers £20,000 self-publishing prize
- Independent stores innovate to create a better retail experience
- Amazon introduces new weekly bestsellers list
- Netflix gives more focus to literary adaptations
- HarperCollins utilises Facebook Live to highlight authors
- Amazon introduces ‘unlimited’ reading for Prime members
The Consumer – What You Need to Know
- Six in 10 adults buy books
- Stores and online are used almost equally to purchase print books
- A smartphone is the most popular reading device for 16-24s
- Adapting digital books for commuters
- Price threshold lower for e-books
- People buy print when they are more invested in a book
- One famous narrator is the preferred option
- Six in 10 adults buy books
Book Buying Habits
- Over half of adults buy print books
- Parents are a key demographic for print books
- Audiobooks appeal to young men
- Figure 21: Book buying habits, April 2017
- Over half of adults buy print books
Online vs In-store Purchasing of Print Books
- Stores and online are used almost equally to purchase print books
- Faster delivery services will help boost online shopping
- More discovery features will improve online browsing
- Figure 22: Online vs in-store purchasing of print books, April 2017
- Stores and online are used almost equally to purchase print books
Reading Habits and Devices Used
- Six in 10 have read a print book in the last 12 months
- Figure 23: Devices used for e-books and audiobooks, April 2017
- A smartphone is the most popular reading device for 16-24s
- Figure 24: Devices used to read books, by age, April 2017
- Six in 10 have read a print book in the last 12 months
Locations for Reading Books
- More than nine in 10 print readers read at home
- Smart speakers offer a new home audiobook experience
- Figure 25: Location books are read and listened to, April 2017
- Adapting digital books for commuters
- More than nine in 10 print readers read at home
How Much People are Willing to Pay for Books
- Price threshold lower for e-books
- Young men will pay more for e-books
- Hardbacks are highly valued
- Figure 26: Price willing to pay for books, April 2017
- Lack of familiarity means uncertainty about audiobook pricing
- Price threshold lower for e-books
Attitudes towards Books and e-books
- People buy print when they are more invested in a book
- e-books are seen as more disposable
- Figure 27: Attitudes towards books and e-books, April 2017
- Younger book buyers prefer in-store browsing
- Figure 28: Find in-store browsing for books more enjoyable than online browsing, by age, April 2017
- Enhanced e-books appeal more to male readers
- Figure 29: Interested in buying enhanced e-books, by gender and age, April 2017
- For young readers, adaptations are very powerful
- Many are willing to pay for self-published books
- Self-publishing makes author diversity even more important for publishers
- People buy print when they are more invested in a book
Audiobook Narrator Preferences
- One famous narrator is the preferred option
- Figure 30: Preference for multiple audiobook narrators, April 2017
- Figure 31: Preference for famous audiobook narrators, April 2017
- One famous narrator is the preferred option
Appendix – Data Sources, Abbreviations and Supporting Information
- Abbreviations
- Consumer research methodology
Appendix – Market Size and Forecast
- Market forecasts
- Figure 32: Value of total consumer book market sales, 2017-22
- Figure 33: Value of total consumer print book sales, 2017-22
- Figure 34: Value of total consumer e-book sales, 2017-22
- Forecast methodology
- Market forecasts
Books and e-books - UK - June 2017