Major Book Market Overview

Below is the current status of the book market in major countries globally.

U.S. Book Market

The United States has the largest publishing market in the world, with various publishing formats coexisting, ranging from traditional publishers to self-publishing and e-book platforms. In the recent five years (2019-2023), the revenue from print books in the U.S. publishing market has maintained an average of approximately $8 billion annually, with the average number of print book sales during the same period being around 760 million copies.

When combining print books, e-books, and audiobooks, the average annual revenue of the U.S. publishing market during the same period is approximately $11 billion, with an average sales volume of 1.14 billion copies.

It is estimated that around 500,000 to 1 million new titles are published annually in the U.S., and when including books published by indie authors, approximately 4 million new books are estimated to be released each year.

Currently, the U.S. book market is dominated by large platforms like Amazon, and due to the data monopoly over the book market, communication among small publishers, readers, and authors is limited.

Particularly, the U.S. publishing market is vibrant across various categories, including genre fiction, non-fiction, and educational books, significantly influencing the global publishing market.

Japanese Book Market

Japan is a country where the share of the printbook market remains still very high.

The market for specialized books, such as comics and light novels, is well-developed in Japan, with traditional publishers maintaining a strong influence.

According to a survey by the Japan Publishing Association and the Publishing Science Research Institute, the average revenue from print books in Japan over the past five years (2019-2023) is 1.171 trillion yen (approximately 7.82 billion dollars), and the average revenue from both print books and e-books during the same period is 1.612 trillion yen (approximately 10.77 billion dollars).

The Japanese publishing market currently publishes an average of 70,000 new print titles annually, with annual book sales ranging between 500 million and 600 million copies.

In particular, Japan is a powerhouse in the comics industry, with comic books accounting for more than 30% of the publishing market. The average sales of publications in the Japanese comics market over the past five years was 631.4 billion yen ($4.218 billion), so the comics market is still doing well.

Additionally, with the increasing demand for translated versions and licensed works of Japanese comic books in the North American, European, and Asian markets, the overall size of the Japanese comic book market is expected to expand further in the future.

European Book Market

The European book market recorded average annual sales of approximately 2.2 billion euros over the past five years (2019-2023). Although sales fluctuated during the pandemic, they have gradually recovered.

In the European market, approximately 500 to 600 million books are sold annually, with around 570,000 to 600,000 new books being published each year.

Korean Book Market

From 1946 to 2022, the cumulative total number of published titles in the Korean publishing market is approximately 1.8 million, and the cumulative total number of published copies is about 5.17 billion.

Over the past five years, the annual average number of published titles exceeds 60,000, and the annual average number of new copies published is over 87 million.

Although the Korean book market is relatively small compared to major countries like the United States and Japan, it holds significant growth potential due to its high reading rate and vibrant reading community activities.

While the e-book market is steadily growing, the proportion of print books remains high, and there is a notable diversification in the age range of readers.

In addition, barriers to publishing are lowering as independent publishing and self-publishing become active, especially among the younger generation.