Report: U.S. Publishers See Rapid Sales Growth Worldwide in Print and E-Formats

By Press Release

New York, NY and Washington DC; May 18, 2012 — In a new report produced by the Association of American Publishers and released today, US publishers in the Trade sector (fiction and non-fiction for adults and children) have seen significant sales increases worldwide in both print and e-format English-language books in the past year.

According to publishers who contributed 2010 and 2011 data to the report, factors for the recent growth include internet access to the full range of English-language titles, particularly those previously unavailable in many markets; the rise of eBooks globally and new readers; interest in US editions; and publishers’ strategic expansion in international sales, marketing and distribution.

The full report is available for purchase. Contact info@publishers.org for more information.

US publishers currently export, on average, 90% of their titles in print and/or e-formats and work with nearly 15,000 international retailers in 200 countries. More than 750 million people outside the US can read English.

Highlights of the report, analysis and a chart with all referenced data follow:

Total export sales

In 2011, US Trade publishers’ net sales revenue was $357.4 million* representing 71.9 million total units. This was a 7.2% increase over 2010’s $333.3 million and 0.9% over 71.3 total units.

Print and e-formats

Total eBook net sales revenue for 2011 was $21.5 million, a gain of 332.6% over 2010; this represents 3.4 million eBook units sold in 2011, up 303.3 %. As comparison, print formats (Hardcover, Paperback and Mass Market Paperback) increased 2.3% to $335.9 million in 2011.

Growth regions

The most rapidly-growing regions for US publishers include:

Continental Europe — 14.7% overall increase in revenue; 218.8% in eBooks, 9.5% in print

UK — 22.9% overall year-to-year increase in revenue; 1316.8% increase in eBooks, 10.4% in print

Latin America — 15.4% increase in revenue overall; 201.6% in eBooks and 9.7% in print