2026
9
UK Books, E-books and Audiobooks Market Report 2026
2026-06-25T22:01:13+00:00
REP0EDD0A8D_8719_496F_9D0A_8D8719496F37
2195
194429
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Report
en_GB
Over half of book buyers would be interested in digital books that come with collectible cards. These would include cover art images, or even offer limited edition artwork from book…
UK
Books, Magazines and Newspapers
simple

UK Books, E-books and Audiobooks Market Report 2026

"Digital books continue to grow, driven by convenience, lower cost, and for many, a lack of space in the home. Print will still dominate sales, but readers are seeking the flexibility of multi-format options."

Adrian Reynolds, Associate Director

Adrian Reynolds, Associate Director

Over half of book buyers would be interested in digital books that come with collectible cards. These would include cover art images, or even offer limited edition artwork from book series, or author-signed editions. Such an innovation would boost the digital proposition, bring sales in store and boost the gifting market, while being perfectly suited to the BookTok community.

The main threat to the industry comes from rising costs in terms of production and supply chains, which has led to rising prices for print books. Demand has remained strong, although revenues have been supported by inflation rather than volume sales, with more people looking to the secondhand market or switching to digital formats. For independent bookshops, margins are being squeezed, and there is a need to find new revenues streams. Local events, classes and even bringing digital books in store can help stores thrive.

There is strong opportunity to capitalise on the demand for multi-format reading. This could be through bundles of formats at discounted rates or including digital download codes with hardback releases. More flexible audiobook subscriptions can also help cater to this demand. While users will want to avoid buying an audiobook they already own in print or e-book, a range of price points for inclusive listening hours will allow them to switch format as they please.

This Report Looks at the Following Areas:

  • Market size and five-year forecast for consumer books, with print still dominating sales despite stronger growth in the digital segment
  • Consumer reading format preferences, with over half reading print books, and e-book reading taking place across a range of devices
  • Book purchasing habits, where print fiction paperbacks lead the way, but younger demographics are just as likely to buy hardbacks
  • Purchase locations both in store and online, with Waterstones still the main high street brand, but just as many utilising supermarkets and charity shops for lower prices
  • The most frequently bought fiction genres and the popularity of romantasy books among younger readers
  • The impact of social media and book reading platforms on search and recommendations, with TikTok continuing to drive industry trends

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  1. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

    • What you need to know
    • Outlook for books, e-books and audiobooks
    • Opportunities
    • Offer readers a seamless experience with format flexibility
    • Collectible cards can transform the digital books market
    • Pairing digital books with a tangible product can bring sales in store and boost the gift market
    • Reading brands must work together to take on Amazon
  2. THE MARKET

    • Snapshot – market size and forecast
    • Market size
    • Consumer book revenues continue to grow, although inflation is playing a role
    • Graph 1: domestic sales of consumer books (excluding exports), 2019-26
    • Cost, convenience and space will see digital’s share of the market continue to grow
    • Graph 2: digital share of domestic consumer books sales, 2017-26
    • Market forecast
    • Total domestic consumer book sales will reach a new high and pass the £1.7 billion mark
    • Graph 3: total value sales of consumer books (excluding exports), 2021-31
    • Print will continue to dominate the market, with rising prices driving modest growth
    • Graph 4: value sales of consumer print books (excluding exports), 2021-31
    • Digital sales will play a larger role in the books market, but growth will begin to slow
    • Graph 5: value sales of consumer digital books (excluding exports), 2021-31
    • Market background
    • Reading is a regular habit for most Brits
    • Waterstones continues to expand its store network
    • The UK is sustaining a high number of independent bookshops
    • The Housemaid series success highlights the power of TikTok for book sales
    • Popularity of thrillers and adaptations reflected in the 2025 Amazon bestsellers
    • Market drivers
    • Inflation is impacting the market for books, but reading remains a fairly low-cost leisure activity
    • Graph 6: CPI inflation rate, 2021-26
    • Reading is among the most popular at-home leisure activities for Brits
    • Graph 7: frequency of reading books at home (%), 2025
    • BookTok influence cannot be underestimated, but the social media ban will limit its impact on under-16s
    • Graph 8: Google searches for the word “booktok”, 2020-26
    • National Year of Reading 2026 looks to address declining passion for reading among children
    • Unauthorised use of books by AI coming under increased scrutiny as CMA announces new requirements
  3. THE CONSUMER

    • Print versus digital
    • The lower cost and added convenience of e-books and audiobooks are helping digital to close the gap on print
    • Graph 9: reading activity in the last 12 months, 2026
    • Graph 10: reading activity in the last 12 months, NET, 2026
    • Young Brits are embracing digital formats, but flexibility is key
    • Print books are still driving sales despite growth in digital
    • Younger Brits are supplementing digital books with hardback purchases
    • Graph 11: books purchasing activity in the last 12 months, 2024 and 2026
    • Lack of space is shifting the emphasis from quantity to quality in the print market
    • Listening time subscriptions can help readers to seamlessly switch between formats
    • In-store and online purchase locations
    • Popularity of charity shops highlights the need to offer secondhand books
    • A higher proportion have bought print books in store than online
    • Graph 12: in-store print book purchase channels in the last 12 months, 2026
    • Graph 13: online print book purchase channels in the last 12 months, 2026
    • Waterstones is attracting young readers in store but should embrace digital formats online
    • Bookshop events are thriving with younger Brits, but miss the mark with older readers
    • Independent bookshops must become part of the local community to counter the threat of Amazon
    • Genre preferences
    • Thrillers and crime lead the way for most bought fiction
    • Crime retains major popularity but skews heavily towards older readers
    • Graph 14: fiction genre preferences, 2026
    • Publishers must consider older demographics when it comes to thrillers
    • Graph 15: fiction buyers preference for thrillers, by generation, 2026
    • Romantasy is now as important as more established genres to younger readers
    • Motivations to buy print
    • Readers are still keen to buy print editions from their favourite authors
    • Graph 16: motivations to buy a print book, 2026
    • Book aesthetics are key for younger readers’ collections
    • Bring digital books in store through collectible trading cards
    • Social media and book recommendations
    • BookTok is shaping industry trends, but readers are using a variety of platforms to find recommendations
    • Graph 17: readers who have looked for book recommendations on the platform in the last 12 months, 2026
    • BookTok continues to grow, but publishers must anticipate changing tastes over time
    • Goodreads is nearly as popular as BookTok and attracts a wider demographic range
    • Graph 18: readers who have looked for book recommendations on Goodreads and StoryGraph in the last 12 months, by generation, 2026
    • Younger Brits expect engagement with authors online
    • Graph 19: preference for authors who engage with fans on social media, 2026
    • The rise of adaptations
    • From book to screen, to book
    • Book data is key for film and TV studios
    • Graph 20: proportion reading books due to film adaptations, by generation, 2026
    • Streamers’ need for original content will see book adaptations continue to grow
  4. INNOVATION AND MARKETING

    • TikTok launches BookTok bestsellers list in the UK
    • Bookshop.org looks for growth with the launch of e-book sales
    • Spotify launches Page Match and partners with Bookshop.org
    • Spotify continues to add tools to boost its audiobooks proposition
    • Bloomsbury will be boosted by highly anticipated Sarah J Maas releases
    • Tech companies are increasing AI integration in books apps
    • Rising competition sees Audible introduce new membership tiers
    • Penguin marks 90th anniversary with refreshed brand illustrations
    • Rakuten Kobo partners with StoryGraph to boost its proposition
    • Start-up Everand looks to challenge Amazon’s dominance in digital books
  5. APPENDIX

    • The market
    • Forecast methodology
    • Forecast methodology – fan chart
    • Market forecast and prediction intervals (total)
    • Market forecast and prediction intervals (print books)
    • Market forecast and prediction intervals (digital books)
    • The consumer
    • Consumer research methodology
    • Consumer research questions
    • UK generation groups
    • Abbreviations and terms

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