New research on the Canadian print book market and consumer trends in audiobooks
Toronto, ON–April 1, 2015–BookNet Canada has released the 2014 edition of its annual market report, The Canadian Book Market. The report compares English-language print book sales in 2014 to 2013, and includes market stats, in-depth data for over 50 subject categories, and pricing and format trends.
Unit sales across the total adult trade print market in 2014 were down by 3.5% compared to 2013, whereas the juvenile trade print market was up 4.1%. Despite the slight decline in the adult trade market, some categories were stronger in 2014 than the previous year, including Historical Fiction (42.6% increase in unit sales), Science (30.2% increase), Mystery & Detective (11.1% increase), and Comics & Graphic Novels (7.7% increase). In addition, sales figures in The Canadian Book Market do not include ebook sales, so the overall book market may be healthier than reflected. For more information and to purchase the report, please visit www.booknetcanada.ca/canadian-book-market/
BookNet also released a consumer study on audiobooks: Listen Up: Audiobook Use in Canada. This free study explores questions such as: Who is listening to audiobooks and why? How are audiobook consumers accessing content? Are they finding all the books they want as audiobooks, or are there gaps in availability? BookNet found that 19% of audiobook listeners find out about books at their library, versus only 4% for buyers of print books. A significant number of respondents (36%) also “always” or “often” listen to books they’ve already read, and a majority were interested in buying print books bundled with either ebooks or audiobooks. You can download the free report at www.booknetcanada.ca/consumer-studies/
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BookNet Canada is a non-profit organization that develops technology, standards and education to serve the Canadian book industry.
We acknowledge the financial support of the Government of Canada through the Canada Book Fund (CBF) for this project. / Nous reconnaissons l’appui financier du gouvernement du Canada par l’entremise du Fonds du livre du Canada (FLC) pour ce projet.
Media Contact:
Joanna Karaplis
Marketing & Communications Manager
BookNet Canada
jkaraplis@booknetcanada.ca
(416) 362-5057 x. 231
