Publishing revenue in the United States generated 29.9 billion dollars in 2023 for books, course materials, audiobooks, and ebooks. This is a minor 0.8% decline compared to the final stated numbers for 2022. However, it is a 6.1% increase over the pre-pandemic figure of $28.2 billion in 2019.

In the industry overall, digital formats accounted for 16% of all revenue for 2023, representing an increase of 6.3% year-over-year. Within Trade, digital formats accounted for 23% of all income for 2023, representing an increase of 9.4% year-over-year. The eBook format has declined, with a slight decrease of 0.2% and made $2.4 billion. Revenue from digital audio increased again this year, climbing 14.2% to $2.3 billion.

Print formats (Paperbacks, Hardbacks, Mass Market, and Special Bindings) accounted for 55% of all revenue for 2023, a decrease of 2% yearly. Within Trade, print formats accounted for 72% of all income for 2023, representing a decrease of 0.8% yearly. Hardback revenue outpaced Paperback revenue in 2023. Hardbacks increased 1.1% to $8.0 billion, while paperbacks decreased 4.4% to $7.7 billion.

Estimated Industry Revenue

• • Trade (consumer books), the industry’s largest category, decreased by 1.4% to an estimated $18.7 billion.
  • Higher Education revenue increased by 1.5% to $3.9 billion.
  • PreK-12 Education increased 0.3% to $5.2 billion.
  • Professional Books increased 1.5% to $1.7 billion.
  • Religious Presses, a subcategory of Trade, increased 6.7% to $1.5 billion.
  • University Presses decreased 9.8% to $0.6 billion.