Featherstone 
Book Sales Statistics, Author & Publishing Industry Stats 2024
Want to know the size of the book market so you can realistically work out how many copies of your book you might sell?
Or whether you can throw in your day job to become a full-time writer?
How about the difference in earnings between traditionally published writers and self-published authors?
And what about just quirky statistics and information about the publishing industry?
Book and publishing industry data released in 2024 include:
- According to the SMH Booklist newsletter: during 2024, 69 million books were sold (down 1.2 per cent from the 2023 tally of 69.8), with a total value of $1.29 billion, which represents a fall of about 3 per cent. The average selling price was $18.69.
- July 2024 US audiobook fiction sales up 61.8%
- Big Indie Author Data Drop 2024 by the Alliance of Independent Authors
- 2023 summary of the Australian book market by Books + Publishing with Nielsen statistics
- ALLi’s summary of some of the 2023 numbers out of the US, Canada and China
The 2024 Indie Author Survey
- 42.7% of respondents said their primary motivation for writing a book was ‘to make money’. 19.3% indicated their motivation was for their ‘story to be told’, 16.7% said writing was ‘a hobby I enjoy’, 14.7% want to become a ‘well known author’ and 6.8% selected other. The analysis summarised: ‘a deeper look into the data shows that authors who specifically stated that their goal was to make money from their writing tend to be higher earners than those with other motivations. This suggests that treating writing like a business and prioritizing financial success can directly impact income levels. Authors with financial goals may approach the process more strategically, investing in marketing, editing, and other areas that help boost sales.’
- The monthly income made by responding authors showed 46% of authors earn $100 or less per month, but the majority—54%—are earning over $100 monthly from their writing. Authors in the $251 – $1,000 range make up 17% of respondents, while the higher income brackets, from $2,501 to over $20,000, account for 17% of respondents. In the higher income bracket, certain genres were more prominent and these were: Cosy Mystery, Paranormal, Paranormal Romance and Romance.
- Marketing remains the most challenging aspect of the indie author journey, with 78.5% of respondents citing it as the hardest part of self-publishing.
- You can see full results from the Indie Author Survey on Written Word Media’s site.
*** Another very interesting stat from the survey was that of those authors earning $25,000+ per month, they had income across an average of 61 titles. And those earning $1,000-$2,5000 per month had an average of 30 titles. ***
For a summary of the publishing stats released in 2023…
And remember, if you’re writing for pleasure not profit, you don’t need to worry or think much about these stats at all – just enjoy your creative outlet!