It doesn’t look like the e-book industry will be applying to the government for bailout any time soon. The e-book sales statistics for July 2009 have been released by the Association of American Publishers (AAP), which collects them in conjunction with the International Digital Publishing Forum, and the growth from last July to this is jaw-dropping. Trade eBook sales were $16,200,000 for July, more than tripling July 2008′s $5,200,000. July ’09 was also the biggest single month in e-book history. The previous record holder? One month earlier! June ’09 was $14,000,000.

Think it’s going to top out soon? Not according to market research firm iSuppi. They predict that 2009 global sales of e-book reading devices will quintuple over those of 2008, from about 1 million to over 5 million. More than half of those sales will be made in North America.

As for IDPF’s figures, the true sales numbers may be even higher than the above chart indicates. Michael Smith, Executive Director of IDPF (International Digital Publishing Forum) reminds us that:

* This data represents United States revenues only
* This data represents only trade eBook sales via wholesale channels. Retail numbers may be as much as double the above figures due to industry wholesale discounts.
* This data represents only data submitted from approx. 12 to 15 trade publishers
* This data does not include library, educational or professional electronic sales
* The numbers reflect the wholesale revenues of publishers
* The definition used for reporting electronic book sales is “All books delivered electronically over the Internet OR to hand-held reading devices”
* The IDPF and AAP began collecting data together starting in Q1 2006

Richard Curtis