E-book sales jumped 266% in 2010, from $165.8 million in 2009 to $441.3 million. December hit $49.5 million compared to $19.1 million the year before, according to the Association of American Publishers. If you add professional and other non-trade e-book sales, we are probably on the cusp of a billion dollar industry. Remember, only fourteen trade publishers report e-sales information to AAP.

Meanwhile, hardcover sales took a 5.1% hit, trade paper fell by 2% and mass market by 6.3%. Even children’s books, a traditional fortress, declined a scary 9.5% in hardcover 5.7% in paper.

And that’s before Borders.

Gratified as we are about record-breaking e-book sales, it’s hard to rejoice when the prospects for print are so grim. In this rich and complex ecosystem called publishing, a tree that grows tall kills the saplings that struggle under its canopy. So – a moment of silence for Borders, the employees turned out of their jobs, the books that will die and the authors who will suffer.

Richard Curtis

The Association of American Publishers and International Digital Publishing Forum tell us that November was a solid month. At $46.6 million the industry more than doubled November 2009′s trade e-book wholesale sales. Sales for the first eleven months of this year are $392.4 million, a boost of more than two and a half times 2009′s the $147.9 posted by the industry at the same time last year.

The above graph does not reflect October sales; it covers sales through the third quarter of 2010.

As always we’re advised 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”

RC

The Association of American Publishers and International Digital Publishing Forum have tallied e-book sales stats for October and we’re back on a high-flying growth rate. Sales were $40,700,000, more than double those of the prior October’s $19,200,000.

The above graph does not reflect October sales; it covers sales through the third quarter of 2010.

As always we’re advised 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”

RC

It’s never a good idea to exhaust your superlatives.  You never know when you’re going to need them.  Case in point: one year ago we posted the following report:

“The third quarter’s numbers leave the previous year’s in the dust: $46.5 million versus $13.9M…. September of this year nearly tripled the same month a year ago, $15.9 million vs. $5.9M”

Having used up our allotment of hyperbole last year, we’re not sure how to characterize e-book sales for this past September and for the third quarter of this year, but the dust image holds up pretty well.  September’s $39.9 million left in the dust the $15.9 million of the same month in 2009.  And as for Q3-10, the $120 million posted by reporting publishers exceeds last year by 250%

Meanwhile, we remind you that:

* This data represents United States revenues only
* This data represents only trade e-book 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”

RC

The Association of American Publishers in conjunction with the International Digital Publishing Forum have released trade e-book sales for August 2010 and we’re happy to report that after that June dip – dipette, really – the numbers continue their nearly triple digit flight upward. Sales were $39,000,000 for August, a 273% increase over August 2009 ($14,300,000) and the second biggest month in e-book history – the first being July 2010, the previous month.

As we said when we reported July, if there was ever a tremor of doubt (See June E-Sales Soften – If You Call Double “Soft”) it has been well and truly erased by resumption of two record-breaking months. The above chart reflects the brief softening (due to customer resistance to higher e-book prices) in Q2 but we expect to see a spike when Q3 sales are tallied next month.

Meanwhile…

IDPF reminds us that:

* This data represents United States revenues only
* This data represents only trade e-book 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”

RC

E-book sales statistics for July 2010 have been released by the International Digital Publishing Forum which collects them in conjunction with the Association of American Publishers, and if there was ever a tremor of doubt (we had one last month) it has been well and truly erased by the news of an all-time record-breaking month.

Trade eBook sales were $40,800,000 for July, a 250% increase over the previous July’s $16,300,000. The previous high was $31,900,000.

This stat will reverse the small dip in growth reflected in the second quarter chart above, a dip caused by consumers negatively responding to raises in prices created by new business models such as Apple’s “agency” approach. Customers seem to have adjusted, though we’ll never know how high this latest spike might have gone if prices had remained in the $9.99 range.

IDPF reminds us that:

* This data represents United States revenues only
* This data represents only trade e-book 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”

RC

We’ve been so spoiled by triple and quadruple jumps in e-book sales that when there’s a dip we wring our hands and wonder if the long-dreaded Topping Out has arrived.

A few of us felt a chill wind the other day when the monthly statistics furnished by the American Association of Publishers and he International Digital Publishing Forum reported that sales in the second quarter of 2010 showed a light decline to $88.7 million from the $91 million reported by the industry in the previous quarter. See E-Sales Soften – if You Call Double “Soft”

Given the fact that Q2-10 sales were twice those of the prior year, most analysts felt it was nothing to get hung about.  But we were curious and asked a few knowledgeable professionals if they could shed light on this small reversal.

One said he thought that the kicking-in of the agency model, which broke e-book prices out of the $9.99 list price ceiling that Amazon had tried to establish, had something to do with it. (See Apple Promoting a New (and Radical!) Model for Selling E-Books?). Consumers just rebelled against paying $12 to $14 or more for e-books.  This view was supported by this comment posted on our website: “Second quarter is when I started feeling the sting of agency pricing for e-books, and I cut way back on my e-book buying. I imagine a few other folks did, too.” (Thanks Stacy!)

The so-called Big Five publishers that switched to the agency model not only took a hit in sales but took in less revenue per e-book sold. Plus many independent e-book retailers did not and in some cases still do not have signed agreements to sell some of the most popular titles.

Another observer reminded us that a huge number of people bought e-book reading devices or received them as gifts for the Christmas holiday in 2009, and that led to their purchasing tons of e-books in January 2010, still the biggest month in e-book history. In subsequent months there was no place to go but soft.

Okay, so a cloud darkened the sky momentarily.  But one glance at the charts reassures us that the prediction for years to come is sunny with a chance of a sprinkles here and there.

Richard Curtis

The Association of American Publishers (AAP) and International Digital Publishing Forum (IDPF) have released e-book sales stats for June 2010, and they’re a tad soft, but only contrasted to the dizzying triples and quadruples of recent note.

Trade e-book sales were $29,800,000 for June, a 219% increase over June 2009 ($13,600,000). Q2 sales took a slight dip to $88.7 million from the $91 million reported by the industry in Q1

Just to keep “soft” in perspective, bear this in mind: sales for the first six months of 2010, totaling 179.7 million, exceeded total sales for the entire year of 2009 and sextupled sales for 2007, a mere three years ago! [Italics, exclamation point, and slightly hysterical tone provided by E-Reads]

Red line =first six months of 2010: $179.7 million

All of 2009: $ 169.5 million
All of 2008: $ 53.5 million
All of 2007: $ 31.7 million

IDPF reminds us that:

* This data represents United States revenues only
* This data represents only trade e-book 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”

RC

E-book sales statistics for May 2010 have been released by the Association of American Publishers (AAP) in conjunction with the International Digital Publishing Forum and there’s been yet another might leap: trade eBook sales were $29,300,000 for May, a 260% increase over May 2009 ($11,200,000).

We’ve become so spoiled by triple and quadruple sales growth that when the jump is “only” 260% we begin to fret that sales are starting to flatten.  But our statisticians remind us that the real numbers may be as much as double the above figures due to industry wholesale discounts. Even if they aren’t, every business should all be so lucky to experience “flat” business growth of 260%!

As always, we’re reminded by AAP and IDPF that…

• The data above represent United States revenues only
• The data above represent only trade eBook sales via wholesale channels.
  
• The data above represent only data submitted from approx. 12 to 15 trade publishers
• The 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

One year ago, reporting trade e-book sales statistics for the first quarter of 2009. we wrote “We’re running out of superlatives.” What inspired our hyperbole were $26 million in sales, exceeding 2008′s first quarter by 131%. Having exhausted our purple prose a year ago, what’s left for us to say about the $91,000,000 first quarter sales posted in 2010, 3 1/2 times those of the same period a year ago. How about this: Q1-10 almost matches the total sales for all of 2006 ($20 M), 2007 ($31.2 M) and 2008 ($53.5 M).

And March 2010? $28.5 million, almost three times that of the same month one year ago.

These statistics compliments of the Association of American Publishers in conjunction with the International Digital Publishing Forum, which reminds us that:

* This data represents United States revenues only
* This data represents only trade e-book 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”

Richard Curtis