Writing and Publishing Statistics

$33.4bn

US publishing generated $33.4 billion in revenue across books and course materials in 2025, against $32.5 billion in 2024.

Source: Association of American Publishers, 2025

$21.7bn

Trade books accounted for $21.7 billion in the US in 2025, roughly two-thirds of all publishing revenue.

Source: Association of American Publishers, 2025

$2.5bn vs $2.2bn

Digital audio overtook eBooks in the US in 2025: $2.5 billion against $2.2 billion.

Source: Association of American Publishers, 2025

$8.2 · 8.0 · 2.5 · 2.2bn

Hardbacks brought US publishers $8.2 billion in 2025, paperbacks $8.0 billion, digital audio $2.5 billion and eBooks $2.2 billion.

Source: Association of American Publishers, 2025

76.3%

Print still accounts for 76.3% of US trade revenue in 2025.

Source: Association of American Publishers, 2025

−29.2%

Mass-market paperback fell 29.2% in 2025 among AAP reporting publishers, to $84.9 million.

Source: Association of American Publishers, January-December 2025

£7.4bn

UK publishing reached a record £7.4 billion in 2025, up 3%.

Source: Publishers Association (UK), 2025

£4.7bn exported

Exports brought UK publishing £4.7 billion in 2025 against £2.6 billion at home.

Source: Publishers Association (UK), 2025

£3.6bn vs £3.8bn

UK digital revenue grew 7% to £3.6 billion in 2025 while print stood still at £3.8 billion.

Source: Publishers Association (UK), 2025

£3.7bn

Academic publishing is the largest UK sector at £3.7 billion in 2025, £2.9 billion of it exported.

Source: Publishers Association (UK), 2025

115 million copies

UK readers bought 115 million print books between January and August 2025, at an average price of £9.52.

Source: NielsenIQ BookData, January-August 2025

C$1.7bn

Canadian book publishers posted C$1.7 billion in operating revenue in 2024, up 3.1% on 2022.

Source: Statistics Canada, 2024

+15.0%

Canadian e-book sales rose 15.0% in 2024, to C$376.0 million.

Source: Statistics Canada, 2024

5.8%

Canadian publishers' operating margin fell to 5.8% in 2024 from 9.1% in 2022, the lowest since the series began in 2014.

Source: Statistics Canada, 2024

+3.2% and +6.9%

Australia's print book market grew 3.2% in value in 2025, New Zealand's 6.9%.

Source: NielsenIQ BookData, 2025

$2.43bn

US audiobook sales hit $2.43 billion in 2025, up 9% — a fifteenth consecutive year of growth.

Source: Audio Publishers Association, 2025

750,000 titles

US publishers reported over 750,000 active audiobook titles in 2025, 43% more than in 2024.

Source: Audio Publishers Association, 2025

$136m

Audio-first publications grew 50% in 2025, from $91.1 million to $136 million — 6% of US audiobook revenue.

Source: Audio Publishers Association, 2025

58% of adults

58% of US adults have listened to an audiobook — about 157 million people; listeners average 3.8 audiobooks a year.

Source: Audio Publishers Association, 2025

£255m

UK audiobook revenue reached £255 million in 2025, up 10%, and now makes up 10% of the consumer market.

Source: Publishers Association (UK), 2025

€2,883.3m

French publishers posted €2,883.3 million in revenue in 2025, against €2,901.6 million in 2024 — a fall of 0.63%.

Source: Syndicat national de l'édition (French Publishers Association), 2025 financial year

419.6 million copies

419.6 million copies were sold in France in 2025, against 426 million in 2024 — 1.49% fewer.

Source: Syndicat national de l'édition (French Publishers Association), 2025 financial year

+2.8% in value, −3.6% in volume

Against 2019, the last pre-pandemic year, the French book market is up 2.8% in value but down 3.6% in volume: fewer books, sold dearer.

Source: Syndicat national de l'édition (French Publishers Association), 2025 financial year

€2,751.9m and €131.4m

French publishers' 2025 revenue splits into €2,751.9 million of book sales and €131.4 million of rights sales.

Source: Syndicat national de l'édition (French Publishers Association), 2025 financial year

36,119 new titles

French publishers released 36,119 new titles in 2025, against 36,232 in 2024.

Source: Syndicat national de l'édition (French Publishers Association), 2025 financial year

−19.2%

French output of new titles fell 19.2% between 2019 and 2025: one new book in five has gone from the catalogues in six years.

Source: Syndicat national de l'édition (French Publishers Association), 2025 financial year

106,642 titles

Total French publishing output reached 106,642 titles in 2025, new titles and reprints together, against 105,684 in 2024.

Source: Syndicat national de l'édition (French Publishers Association), 2025 financial year

6,849 copies

The average print run of a French new title is 6,849 copies in 2025, and 2,924 for a reprint.

Source: Syndicat national de l'édition (French Publishers Association), 2025 financial year

3,522 → 2,924

The average French reprint run fell from 3,522 copies in 2019 to 2,924 in 2025.

Source: Syndicat national de l'édition (French Publishers Association), 2025 financial year

+1%

Book prices rose 1% in France in 2025 against 2024, on INSEE's harmonised consumer price index.

Source: Syndicat national de l'édition (French Publishers Association), 2025 financial year

€275.3m

French digital publishing generated €275.3 million in 2025, down 1.2% year on year.

Source: Syndicat national de l'édition (French Publishers Association), 2025 financial year

10% of the market, 5.8% in fiction

Digital makes up 10% of French publishers' revenue in 2025 — but only 5.8% in fiction, against 48.2% in professional and academic publishing.

Source: Syndicat national de l'édition (French Publishers Association), 2025 financial year

€40.2m

Digital fiction sales came to €40.2 million in 2025, 14.6% of the French e-book market; professional and academic publishing takes 67.4%.

Source: Syndicat national de l'édition (French Publishers Association), 2025 financial year

71.4%

71.4% of French e-book sales go through subscriptions and licences, against 26.9% sold copy by copy.

Source: Syndicat national de l'édition (French Publishers Association), 2025 financial year

25.7% in bookshops

Bookshops make 25.7% of French book sales in 2025, ahead of online retailers (20.1%) and hypermarkets (16.8%).

Source: Syndicat national de l'édition (French Publishers Association), 2025 financial year

13,517 contracts

French publishers signed 13,517 international contracts in 2025 — 11,280 translation rights deals and 2,237 co-editions — down 5.2%.

Source: Syndicat national de l'édition (French Publishers Association), 2025 financial year

43%

World rights account for 43% of French rights contracts in 2025, against 47% in 2022 and 2023.

Source: Syndicat national de l'édition (French Publishers Association), 2025 financial year

€333m

Belgian publishers' revenue reached €333 million in 2024, up 0.6%.

Source: ADEB, Belgian Publishers Association, 2024 financial year

€268.2m

The French-speaking Belgian book market reached €268.2 million in 2024, up 1.3%, carried by general fiction (+12.2% in value).

Source: ADEB, Belgian Publishers Association, 2024 financial year

+12% against +22.8%

Between 2019 and 2024 the French-speaking Belgian book market grew 12%, half the rate of inflation over the same period (22.8%).

Source: ADEB, Belgian Publishers Association, 2024 financial year

−6% and −3.9%

In French-speaking Belgium, comics fell 6% in value in 2024 and children's books 3.9%.

Source: ADEB, Belgian Publishers Association, 2024 financial year

140,300 jobs

The US counts 140,300 jobs for writers and authors, only 49,450 of them salaried — the rest are self-employed.

Source: US Bureau of Labor Statistics, May 2025

$76,910

The median annual wage for US writers and authors was $76,910 in May 2025 — a figure that covers all professional writing, not book income alone.

Source: US Bureau of Labor Statistics, May 2025

$44,310 to $139,870

The lowest-paid 10% of US writers earn under $44,310 a year, the top 10% more than $139,870.

Source: US Bureau of Labor Statistics, May 2025

0%

US employment of writers and authors is projected to change 0% from 2025 to 2035 — a net loss of 500 jobs, against 11,900 yearly openings from departures.

Source: US Bureau of Labor Statistics, May 2025

$10,000

The median book income of a full-time US author was $10,000 in 2022; counting all author-related income, $20,000.

Source: The Authors Guild, 2022 income, 5,699 published authors

$2,000

Across all published US authors, median book income was $2,000 in 2022, and $5,000 counting all author-related income.

Source: The Authors Guild, 2022 income, 5,699 published authors

80% vs 35%

80% of surveyed US authors consider themselves professionals, but only 35% write full time.

Source: The Authors Guild, 2022 income, 5,699 published authors

$2,412 vs $10,985

Full-time Black US authors had a median book income of $2,412 in 2022, against $10,985 for white authors.

Source: The Authors Guild, 2022 income, 5,699 published authors

−42%

Median US author earnings from all writing-related sources fell 42% between 2009 and 2017, from $10,500 to $6,080.

Source: The Authors Guild, 2009-2017, 5,067 respondents

£7,000

A UK author whose main occupation is writing earned £7,000 in 2022 — against £17,608 in 2006, in real terms.

Source: ALCS and CREATe, University of Glasgow, 2,759 responses from 60,000 writers

−38.2%

Median UK author earnings fell 38.2% in real terms between 2018 and 2022.

Source: ALCS and CREATe, University of Glasgow, 2,759 responses from 60,000 writers

19%

Just 19% of UK primary-occupation authors earn all their income from writing, down from 40% in 2006 and 28% in 2018.

Source: ALCS and CREATe, University of Glasgow, 2,759 responses from 60,000 writers

47%

The top 10% of UK authors take 47% of all author earnings.

Source: ALCS and CREATe, University of Glasgow, 2,759 responses from 60,000 writers

£50,000 vs £4,000

A UK author at the 80th percentile earns £50,000 a year, one at the 20th percentile £4,000.

Source: ALCS and CREATe, University of Glasgow, 2,759 responses from 60,000 writers

41.4%

The gender pay gap among UK authors reached 41.4%, up from 33% in 2016/2017.

Source: ALCS and CREATe, University of Glasgow, 2,759 responses from 60,000 writers

80% under A$15,000

80% of Australian authors earned under A$15,000 from their creative practice in 2023, and 52% under A$2,000.

Source: Australian Society of Authors, December 2023 survey

55%

Even among full-time Australian authors, 55% earned under A$15,000 and 23% under A$2,000.

Source: Australian Society of Authors, December 2023 survey

A$5,700 to A$27,300

Australian author income varies fivefold by genre: A$5,700 for poets, A$14,500 for literary fiction, A$26,800 for children's authors, A$27,300 for education authors.

Source: Australian Society of Authors and Macquarie University, 1,152 usable responses

−78%

Canadian writers' income from writing fell 27% in three years and 78% over twenty years, adjusted for inflation.

Source: The Writers' Union of Canada, 2018 income survey

25%

Only 25% of books read in the past month were bought new or obtained through a paid subscription: 29% were library loans and 35% came from free sources, piracy included.

Source: The Authors Guild, research by Codex Group, published 9 June 2026

101,588 authors

France counted 101,588 book authors in 2013, only 5,357 of whom were registered with Agessa with book writing as their main activity.

Source: French Ministry of Culture (DGMIC-SLL), 2013 income, 2015 working conditions

€886

Half of French book authors earned under €886 net in author income in 2013; among registered authors the median was €15,529.

Source: French Ministry of Culture (DGMIC-SLL), 2013 income, 2015 working conditions

€60

10% of French book authors earned under €60 in author income over the year in 2013.

Source: French Ministry of Culture (DGMIC-SLL), 2013 income, 2015 working conditions

8,000 authors

Just over 8,000 French book authors — 8% of them — earned more than the minimum wage from author income in 2013, that is €13,445 net; 1,620 earned more than three times it.

Source: French Ministry of Culture (DGMIC-SLL), 2013 income, 2015 working conditions

67%

67% of French book authors held another job; only 5% had never done anything but write.

Source: French Ministry of Culture (DGMIC-SLL), 2013 income, 2015 working conditions

7%

The median royalty rate on a French author's most recent contract is 7% in fiction, 8% for essays and comics, and 5% in children's books.

Source: French Ministry of Culture (DGMIC-SLL), 2013 income, 2015 working conditions

under €1,000

The median advance last received by a French text author is just under €1,000; it reaches €2,000 in fiction and €4,500 in comics.

Source: French Ministry of Culture (DGMIC-SLL), 2013 income, 2015 working conditions

63% men, 70% over 50

63% of French book authors are men and 70% are over 50 — but among registered authors, 55% are women and 55% are under 50.

Source: French Ministry of Culture (DGMIC-SLL), 2013 income, 2015 working conditions

63% vs 21%

Children's books are the most female domain of French publishing at 63% women, comics the least at 21%.

Source: French Ministry of Culture (DGMIC-SLL), 2013 income, 2015 working conditions

85%

Text authors — novelists, essayists, poets — make up 85% of French book authors, ahead of translators (6%) and illustrators (4%).

Source: French Ministry of Culture (DGMIC-SLL), 2013 income, 2015 working conditions

1.5%

Only 1.5% of French book authors use a literary agent; the share rises to 4.6% among registered authors.

Source: French Ministry of Culture (DGMIC-SLL), 2013 income, 2015 working conditions

49%

One French registered author in two (49%) reports having faced at least one of the six publishing practices the trade regularly deplores, chief among them a publisher never rendering accounts (29%).

Source: French Ministry of Culture (DGMIC-SLL), 2013 income, 2015 working conditions

€543.8m

French publishers booked €543.8 million in author royalties in 2025, up 4.27% — 11.7% of their revenue.

Source: Syndicat national de l'édition (French Publishers Association), 2025 financial year

1,009,188 titles

1,009,188 self-published titles were registered with ISBNs in the United States in 2017, the first time the figure passed one million.

Source: Bowker, 2017

879,587 print, 129,601 ebook

Of those 2017 US self-published ISBNs, 879,587 were print books, up 38%, and 129,601 were ebooks, down 13%.

Source: Bowker, 2017

+40%

US self-published ISBNs rose 40% in 2018, from almost 1.2 million to more than 1.6 million titles.

Source: ProQuest and Bowker, 2018

152,978 → 727,125

US self-published ISBNs went from 152,978 in 2010 to 727,125 in 2015, a rise of more than 375% in five years.

Source: Bowker, 2010-2015

$71.0m in one month

Authors enrolled in KDP Select shared $71.0 million for the single month of July 2026.

Source: Amazon, Kindle Direct Publishing, July 2026

$500,000 → $45m a month

The KDP Select Global Fund grew from $500,000 at its December 2011 launch to more than $45 million a month, having paid authors over $2.2 billion in all.

Source: Amazon, cumulative since December 2011

2,000 authors

More than 2,000 self-published authors had passed $100,000 in KDP royalties in 2022, and the number earning $50,000 or more rose 40% between March 2020 and March 2022.

Source: Amazon, 2022

$13,500

Median self-published author income reached $13,500 in 2025, up 6% year on year, against $6,000 to $8,000 for traditionally published authors.

Source: Alliance of Independent Authors, 2025 survey, 1,520 qualifying responses

28%

France's national library received 24,326 self-published works in 2021, close to 28% of the year's 88,016 legal deposits.

Source: Bibliothèque nationale de France, 2021 data

7,700 → 15,451 titles

Printed self-published titles deposited at the French national library doubled between 2010 and 2019, from 7,700 (12% of output) to 15,451 (20%).

Source: French Ministry of Culture (DEPS), legal deposit 2007-2016

30% of titles, 0.3% of sales

Self-published books made up 30% of French titles over 2007-2016, but 0.3% of sales.

Source: French Ministry of Culture (DEPS), legal deposit 2007-2016

22 vs 1,458 copies

An author who moved from self-publishing to a publisher sells an average 22 copies of a self-published book, against 1,458 of a published one — seventy times more.

Source: French Ministry of Culture (DEPS), legal deposit 2007-2016

180 times

For a novel, print sales run about one hundred and eighty times higher when the title is published than when it is self-published.

Source: French Ministry of Culture (DEPS), legal deposit 2007-2016

4 vs 65 copies

A self-published poetry collection sells an average of 4 copies, against 65 for one published by a publisher.

Source: French Ministry of Culture (DEPS), legal deposit 2007-2016

30% under 10 copies

30% of French-language authors who manage to sell through bookshops shift fewer than 10 copies per title; only 17% sell more than 1,000.

Source: French Ministry of Culture (DEPS), legal deposit 2007-2016

60% novels

Novels made up 60% of French self-published titles in 2015, against 43% in traditional publishing; comics and children's books account for only 7%.

Source: French Ministry of Culture (DEPS), legal deposit 2007-2016

56 years old on average

Of the 70,087 French-language authors who deposited a book at the national library between 2007 and 2016, 60% are men and the average age is 56; only 22% are under 40.

Source: French Ministry of Culture (DEPS), legal deposit 2007-2016

49 years old

A first-time French author is 49 on average, and 45% of those who published a first book in the past two years are over 50.

Source: French Ministry of Culture (DEPS), legal deposit 2007-2016

12%

Between 1970 and 2016, only 12% of French authors crossed between self-publishing and traditional publishing in either direction; 40% stayed self-published throughout.

Source: French Ministry of Culture (DEPS), legal deposit 2007-2016

75%

75% of US adults read all or part of at least one book in the past year; a quarter read none.

Source: Pew Research Center, 8,046 US adults, fielded October 2025

64%, 31%, 26%

64% of US adults read a print book in the past year, 31% an ebook and 26% an audiobook.

Source: Pew Research Center, 8,046 US adults, fielded October 2025

72% → 64%

US print book reading fell from 72% in 2011 to 64% in 2025, while ebook reading rose from 17% to 31%.

Source: Pew Research Center, 8,046 US adults, fielded October 2025

88% vs 60%

88% of US college graduates read a book in the past year, against 60% of adults with a high school education or less — a 28-point gap.

Source: Pew Research Center, 8,046 US adults, fielded October 2025

14%

14% of US adults read more than 20 books a year, while 38% read between one and five.

Source: Pew Research Center, 8,046 US adults, fielded October 2025

7%

Only 7% of US adults belong to a book club: 10% of women and 5% of men.

Source: Pew Research Center, 8,046 US adults, fielded October 2025

12.6 books

Americans report reading 12.6 books a year, the lowest Gallup has measured since it began asking in 1990 — against 18.5 in 1999 and 15.6 in 2016.

Source: Gallup, December 2021 survey, 811 adults

15.7 vs 9.5 books

American women read 15.7 books a year against 9.5 for men, both down on the 2002-2016 period.

Source: Gallup, December 2021 survey

16 minutes a day

Americans aged 15 and over spent 16 minutes a day reading for personal interest in 2025, against 2 hours 36 watching TV.

Source: US Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2025

32 vs 10 minutes

US daily reading time splits sharply by age: about 32 minutes for those 65 and over, against 10 minutes for 15-to-24-year-olds.

Source: US Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2025

45.2% → 37.6%

The share of US adults reading novels or short stories fell from 45.2% in 2012 to 37.6% in 2022, the lowest in the survey's three-decade history.

Source: National Endowment for the Arts, SPPA survey 2012-2022

48.5%

The share of US adults reading any book outside work or school fell below half for the first time, from 54.6% in 2012 to 48.5% in 2022.

Source: National Endowment for the Arts, SPPA survey 2012-2022

27% → 14%

The share of American 13-year-olds reading for fun almost every day collapsed from 27% in 2012 to 14% in 2023.

Source: National Endowment for the Arts, SPPA survey 2012-2022

36.1%

36.1% of UK children and young people aged 5 to 18 say they enjoy reading in their free time in 2026, after a record low of 32.7% in 2025.

Source: National Literacy Trust, 125,375 respondents, 479 schools

18.7%

Only 18.7% of UK 8-to-18-year-olds read something daily in their free time in 2025, the lowest on record; the share recovered to 20.3% in 2026.

Source: National Literacy Trust, 114,970 children surveyed early 2025

78.5% → 72.4%

Australian children aged 5 to 14 reading for pleasure fell from 78.5% in 2017-18 to 72.4% in 2021-22, and to 63.1% among 12-to-14-year-olds.

Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics, July 2020 - June 2022

56%

56% of French people describe themselves as regular readers in 2025, five points down on 2023 and the lowest since the barometer began in 2015.

Source: Ipsos for the Centre national du livre, 1,001 people aged 15 and over, January-February 2025

18 books a year

French readers get through 18 books a year on average in 2025, against 22 in 2023 and 22 in 2019.

Source: Ipsos for the Centre national du livre, 1,001 people aged 15 and over, January-February 2025

31 minutes a day

French readers spend 31 minutes a day reading books for pleasure, 3 hours 40 a week — ten minutes a day less than in 2023.

Source: Ipsos for the Centre national du livre, 1,001 people aged 15 and over, January-February 2025

66% vs 43%

66% of French women describe themselves as regular readers, against 43% of men.

Source: Ipsos for the Centre national du livre, 1,001 people aged 15 and over, January-February 2025

4h26 vs 2h48

French women spend 4 hours 26 a week reading, men 2 hours 48.

Source: Ipsos for the Centre national du livre, 1,001 people aged 15 and over, January-February 2025

63%

63% of French people read at least five books in the past twelve months, six points down on 2023.

Source: Ipsos for the Centre national du livre, 1,001 people aged 15 and over, January-February 2025

13%

13% of French people read no book at all in the past twelve months.

Source: Ipsos for the Centre national du livre, 1,001 people aged 15 and over, January-February 2025

45%

45% of French readers read every day or nearly, the lowest level in ten years.

Source: Ipsos for the Centre national du livre, 1,001 people aged 15 and over, January-February 2025

39%

39% of French readers feel they are reading fewer and fewer books, a ten-year high.

Source: Ipsos for the Centre national du livre, 1,001 people aged 15 and over, January-February 2025

57% vs 15%

57% of French people read at least five print books over the year, against 15% in digital — a digital share nonetheless up six points since 2015.

Source: Ipsos for the Centre national du livre, 1,001 people aged 15 and over, January-February 2025

32%

32% of French people have listened to an audiobook and 15% did so in the past year; among heavy readers the share reaches 43%.

Source: Ipsos for the Centre national du livre, 1,001 people aged 15 and over, January-February 2025

5.9 genres

French readers move through 5.9 different literary genres a year on average, against 6.4 in 2019.

Source: Ipsos for the Centre national du livre, 1,001 people aged 15 and over, January-February 2025

81%

81% of French 7-to-19-year-olds read books for pleasure in 2024, against 83% in 2022: close to one young person in five reads nothing by choice.

Source: Ipsos for the Centre national du livre, survey of 7-to-19-year-olds, March-April 2024

19 minutes a day

French 7-to-19-year-olds spend 19 minutes a day reading for pleasure, 2 hours 11 a week and four minutes less than in 2022.

Source: Ipsos for the Centre national du livre, survey of 7-to-19-year-olds, March-April 2024

3h11 of screens a day

French young people spend 3 hours 11 a day on screens outside schoolwork, rising to 5 hours 10 among 16-to-19-year-olds: ten times the time they give to reading.

Source: Ipsos for the Centre national du livre, survey of 7-to-19-year-olds, March-April 2024

17 vs 7 minutes

Among French 16-to-19-year-olds, girls read 17 minutes a day for pleasure and boys 7.

Source: Ipsos for the Centre national du livre, survey of 7-to-19-year-olds, March-April 2024

12%

Writing a novel sits on the bucket list of 12% of Americans, just behind starting a business (15%) and ahead of inventing something (10%).

Source: YouGov, 9,608 US adults, June 2020 - June 2021

52% vs 20%

52% of Americans under 30 write fiction at least sometimes, against 20% of those aged 65 and over.

Source: YouGov, 1,147 US adults, August 2025

8%

8% of French people aged 15 and over wrote for pleasure over the year — novels, short stories, poems or a diary.

Source: French Ministry of Culture (DEPS), 2018 French cultural practices survey

21%, of whom 62% gave up

21% of French people have written for pleasure at least once in their life, but 62% of them gave it up.

Source: French Ministry of Culture (DEPS), 2018 French cultural practices survey

4%

4% of French people write novels, poems or short stories over a year, and 12% have done so at least once in their life.

Source: French Ministry of Culture (DEPS), 2018 French cultural practices survey

5%

5% of French people keep a diary over a year; 15% have done so at some point in their life.

Source: French Ministry of Culture (DEPS), 2018 French cultural practices survey

64% women

64% of French people who write as amateurs are women, rising to 72% for diary-keeping.

Source: French Ministry of Culture (DEPS), 2018 French cultural practices survey

$7.1bn vs $6.0bn

Adult fiction brought US publishers $7.1 billion in 2025, up 3.9%, ahead of adult non-fiction at $6.0 billion.

Source: Association of American Publishers, 2025

$5.4bn

Children's and young adult fiction accounts for $5.4 billion in the US in 2025, about a quarter of trade revenue.

Source: Association of American Publishers, 2025

51 million copies

US print romance grew 24% in 2025, with 51 million copies sold over twelve months — more than double the volume of four years earlier.

Source: Circana BookScan, 2025 year to date and trailing twelve months

triple-digit growth

Romantasy and sports romance each posted triple-digit print growth in 2025, making romance the leading growth category of the US print book market.

Source: Circana BookScan, 2025 year to date and trailing twelve months

+29%, +23%, +13%

Alongside romance, US print sales of psychological thrillers rose 29% in 2025, dark fantasy 23% and horror 13%.

Source: Circana BookScan, 2025 year to date and trailing twelve months

+45%

Manga was the strongest category of the US print book market in the first quarter of 2026, with a 45% gain in unit sales.

Source: Circana, first quarter 2026

£1.1bn

UK fiction passed £1 billion for the first time in 2024, reaching £1.1 billion after an 18% jump in a single year.

Source: Publishers Association (UK), 2024

£493m

UK children's publishing reached £493 million in 2025, up 7%, while non-fiction fell 3%.

Source: Publishers Association (UK), 2025

€694.6m

Fiction is the largest segment of French publishing at €694.6 million in 2025, 25.2% of the market, up 4.7%.

Source: Syndicat national de l'édition (French Publishers Association), 2025 financial year

€419m

Comics, graphic novels and manga account for €419 million in 2025, 15.2% of the French market, down 5% — against €509 million at the 2021 peak.

Source: Syndicat national de l'édition (French Publishers Association), 2025 financial year

−10.5%

Manga fell 10.5% in value and 13.7% in volume in France in 2025; the country remains the second-largest market for the genre outside Asia, behind the United States.

Source: Syndicat national de l'édition (French Publishers Association), 2025 financial year

€359.6m

French children's publishing came to €359.6 million in 2025, 13.1% of the market, down 3% in value and 4.3% in volume.

Source: Syndicat national de l'édition (French Publishers Association), 2025 financial year

49.5%

Contemporary novels make up 49.5% of French fiction revenue in 2025, down 5%, while crime and thriller pull the segment up.

Source: Syndicat national de l'édition (French Publishers Association), 2025 financial year

70% read novels

70% of French people read a novel over the year: 37% crime or spy fiction, 27% science fiction or fantasy, 26% romance or new romance.

Source: Ipsos for the Centre national du livre, 1,001 people aged 15 and over, January-February 2025

+14 points

Romance and new romance jumped 14 points among French women readers between 2023 and 2025, while most other genres fell back.

Source: Ipsos for the Centre national du livre, 1,001 people aged 15 and over, January-February 2025

42% vs 9%

42% of French women readers read romance or new romance, against 9% of male readers.

Source: Ipsos for the Centre national du livre, 1,001 people aged 15 and over, January-February 2025

44% of under-20s

19% of French people read manga, but 44% of under-20s and only 3% of older readers.

Source: Ipsos for the Centre national du livre, 1,001 people aged 15 and over, January-February 2025

over 50%

Self-publishing passed half of all titles published in 2015 in four French literary sub-genres: novels and prose fiction, poetry, drama and literary essays.

Source: French Ministry of Culture (DEPS), 2006-2015

90%

90% of writers believe authors should be compensated if their work is used to train generative AI, and 86% that they should be credited.

Source: The Authors Guild, over 1,700 authors, May 2023

69%

69% of US authors feel their careers are threatened by generative AI, and 70% expect publishers to use it to replace human authors.

Source: The Authors Guild, over 1,700 authors, May 2023

23%, only 7% to write

23% of US authors used generative AI in May 2023, almost all for grammar (47% of users) or brainstorming (29%); about 7% used it to generate actual text.

Source: The Authors Guild, over 1,700 authors, May 2023

96%

96% of US authors say consent and compensation should be required before their work trains an AI; just 3% find unauthorised use acceptable.

Source: The Authors Guild, over 2,400 authors, December 2023

6%, but 50% do not know

6% of US authors are aware of having lost work to AI — but 50% say they do not know whether they have.

Source: The Authors Guild, over 2,400 authors, December 2023

87%

87% of US authors did not use generative AI in their writing at all in December 2023, up from 77% seven months earlier.

Source: The Authors Guild, over 2,400 authors, December 2023

92%

92% of UK MPs believe AI developers should be required to tell authors and publishers which works trained their models; 86% agree compensation is needed.

Source: Publishers Association, Savanta polling of 107 MPs, fieldwork February-March 2025

60%

60% of Americans say they never use AI tools to help them write; among under-30s that falls to 43%, with 18% using AI weekly.

Source: YouGov, 1,147 US adults, August 2025

8%

Only 8% of Americans say they are very good at detecting whether something was written by an AI tool.

Source: YouGov, 1,147 US adults, August 2025

40%

40% of French artist-authors have already used a generative AI tool.

Source: SGDL and ADAGP (French authors' societies), 2024 survey of French artist-authors

60%

60% of French artist-authors see the rise of generative AI as a threat to their livelihood; the share rises to 78% among illustrators and comics authors.

Source: SGDL and ADAGP (French authors' societies), 2024 survey of French artist-authors

16%

16% of French artist-authors already see a negative effect of generative AI on their work and their income.

Source: SGDL and ADAGP (French authors' societies), 2024 survey of French artist-authors

65%

65% of French artist-authors are opposed to their works being used by AI software.

Source: SGDL and ADAGP (French authors' societies), 2024 survey of French artist-authors

−2.6%

The French Publishers Association attributes part of the 2025 decline in practical books — down 2.6% to €333.8 million — to conversational AI and social media competing on recipes and travel guides.

Source: Syndicat national de l'édition (French Publishers Association), 2025 financial year