Online Book Services Market Report 2025

The online book services market size has grown strongly in recent years. It will grow from $23.1 billion in 2024 to $24.73 billion in 2025 at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 7.1%. The growth in the historic period can be attributed to Internet accessibility expansion, changing consumer preferences, global e-commerce boom, convenience and accessibility, rise of e-reading devices.

The online book services market size is expected to see strong growth in the next few years. It will grow to $34.92 billion in 2029 at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 9%. The growth in the forecast period can be attributed to proliferation of mobile devices, subscription models and reading platforms, globalization of book markets, environmental awareness. Major trends in the forecast period include collaborations with authors and publishers, focus on accessibility and inclusivity, gamification of reading, integration of virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR), environmental sustainability initiatives.

The increasing number of internet users is expected to significantly boost growth in the online book services market in the near future. An internet user is defined as someone who can access and use the internet. The growth of the online book services market is closely linked to the rising number of internet users, as this expanding audience actively seeks digital books and e-reading platforms for easy access to a wide range of literary works. For example, in February 2024, the International Telecommunication Union, a specialized agency based in Switzerland, reported that the number of internet users grew from 5.1 billion in 2022 to 5.4 billion in 2023. As a result, the growing population of internet users is emerging as the key factor driving the growth of the online book services market.

The escalating adoption of smartphones is poised to significantly bolster the growth trajectory of the online book services market in the coming years. A smartphone, characterized as a handheld electronic device integrating mobile phone functionalities with advanced computing capabilities, plays a pivotal role in propelling the online book services market. This surge in smartphone adoption serves as a catalyst, creating a robust platform for digital reading, thereby enhancing accessibility and fostering seamless on-the-go reading experiences, consequently driving the widespread adoption of digital books. As highlighted in a report published by Uswitch Limited in February 2023, active mobile connections surged to 71.8 million in 2022, marking a substantial 3.8% growth from the preceding year. Projections for the UK's population by 2025 anticipate reaching 68.3 million, with an expected 95% penetration rate of smartphones among residents. Consequently, the increasing adoption of smartphones emerges as the primary driver fueling the growth of the online book services market.

Key players in the online book services market are strategically embracing partnership initiatives to cater to the global higher education student community by granting them access to digital books. These strategic partnerships involve companies leveraging each other's strengths and resources for mutual benefits and shared success. A prime example is the collaboration between Wiley, a prominent US-based publishing company, and Perlego, a UK-based e-learning provider, in May 2023. Through this partnership, Perlego extends students the opportunity to access an extensive array of Wiley's digital titles on its platform. This collection encompasses textbooks, trade publications, and professional book titles from Wiley's catalogue. By subscribing to Perlego, students enjoy unhindered access to over a million ebooks, including titles from Wiley and diverse publishers, significantly enriching their academic resources and learning materials.

Leading companies in the online book services market are actively innovating their product offerings, notably introducing e-bookshelves, to cater to larger customer bases, bolster sales, and augment revenue streams. An e-bookshelf represents a virtual platform allowing individuals to store, organize, and access their electronic book or e-book collections. An exemplar of this trend occurred in April 2023 when Amazon, a renowned US-based e-commerce company, unveiled 'Your Company Bookshelf.' This unique platform's hallmark feature lies in its streamlined approach for US-based organizations to procure and distribute books efficiently. Organizations enjoy the flexibility to curate personalized bookshelves, establish budgets, and invite recipients to select books according to their preferences. Recipients are offered various formats to choose from, including Kindle eBooks, paperbacks, or hardcovers. 'Your Company Bookshelf' facilitates customization tailored to specific purposes, such as professional development, training initiatives, or support for diversity, equity, and inclusion programs within organizations. Leveraging Amazon's extensive repository of millions of print books and Kindle eBooks, the platform offers a tailored, versatile solution for organizational book distribution, catering to diverse needs and preferences.

In January 2022, Storytel, a Europe-based audiobook and e-book streaming company, acquired Audiobooks.com for $135 million. This acquisition enables Storytel to enter the English-speaking audiobook market, positioning it to compete with Amazon's Audible. Audiobooks.com, based in Canada, offers a diverse selection of audiobooks to listeners in over 150 countries.

Major companies operating in the online book services market include Walmart Inc., Amazon.com Inc., Apple Inc., Google LLC, Bertelsmann SE & Co KGaA, Penguin Random House LLC, Pearson plc, Hachette Book Group (Lagardère SCA), Follett Corporation, HarperCollins Publishers LLC, John Wiley & Sons Inc., News Corporation (HarperCollins Publishers LLC), Barnes & Noble Inc., Simon & Schuster Inc., Macmillan Publishers Ltd., Scholastic Corporation, Smashwords Inc., Scribd Inc., ThriftBooks Inc., Powell's Books Inc., Blurb Inc., BookBaby Lulu Press Inc., Kobo Inc., Waterstones Booksellers Limited, Ingram Holdings Inc.

North America was the largest region in the online book services market share in 2024. The regions covered in the online book services market report are Asia-Pacific, Western Europe, Eastern Europe, North America, South America, Middle East, Africa. The countries covered in the online book services market report are Australia, Brazil, China, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Japan, Russia, South Korea, UK, USA, Canada, Italy, Spain.

Online book services are platforms primarily designed to offer individuals electronic access to books, enabling activities such as renting, purchasing, borrowing, browsing, or viewing books through the internet. These services provide digital files containing text and images, allowing users to read content on screens such as smartphones or laptops, resembling the experience of reading a printed book.

The online book services market encompasses key product categories such as education, trade, science, technology, and medicine. Online educational books are specifically crafted to assist students in their workshops and assignments, catering to both household and institutional applications among teenagers and adults.

The online book services market research report is one of a series of new reports that provides online book services market statistics, including online book services industry global market size, regional shares, competitors with an online book services market share, detailed online book services market segments, market trends and opportunities, and any further data you may need to thrive in the online book services industry. This online book services market research report delivers a complete perspective of everything you need, with an in-depth analysis of the current and future scenario of the industry.

The online book services market includes revenues earned by entities by providing services such as Ebook subscription services. The market value includes the value of related goods sold by the service provider or included within the service offering. Only goods and services traded between entities or sold to end consumers are included.

The market value is defined as the revenues that enterprises gain from the sale of goods and/or services within the specified market and geography through sales, grants, or donations in terms of the currency (in USD, unless otherwise specified).

The revenues for a specified geography are consumption values that are revenues generated by organizations in the specified geography within the market, irrespective of where they are produced. It does not include revenues from resales along the supply chain, either further along the supply chain or as part of other products.

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