Insights and facts from across the industry
The WordsRated team compiles facts and statistics to help journalists, pupils, students, teachers, authors, and industry insiders to inspire change, ideas and understanding.
Trending Facts & Insights
Benefits of Reading
It has been shown that reading books can develop stronger reading habits and improve literacy skills more efficiently than through formal education. The positive impacts …
Over 50% of Americans Haven’t Read a Book in the Past Year
We surveyed 2,003 American adults in order to better understand the reading habits of Americans over the past 12 months. As a non-commercial research organization …
How Many Books Does the Average Person Read?
There are numerous benefits to reading, yet not all people decide to enjoy them. In fact, over the last several years, reading averages in the …
Why People Read Books? Statistics on Consumer Behavior of Readers
This report will focus on the consumer behavior of book buyers and avid readers in the United States. We will cover the process of book …
Literary Agent Statistics
Aspiring writers have a tough job breaking through in the industry where the odds of getting published hover between 1% and 2%. Finding the right …
Cost of Publishing a Book
While traditional publishing removes most of the author’s worries around costs and effort to get a book published, self-publishing authors must take care of most …
How Much Do Authors Make
Throughout the publishing industry, there exists a great variation in the amount of money earned by authors and their net worth across different genres. In …
Best-Selling Books of All Time
Best-selling books are known for their unique ability to captivate readers all over the world across different generations, with many going on to form the …
Publishing Industry Statistics
Trade book publishing overview The global book publishing industry is in a good position for growth in the next few years. The increasing popularity of …
BookTok Statistics
Over the last few years, BookTok emerged as one of the most influential sources of book discoveries and has greatly affected the publishing industry. The …
Jack Carr Statistics
Jack Carr books in order # Release date Title Page count Audiobook length 1 March 6, 2018 The Terminal List 408 12h3m 2 July 30, …
Most Expensive Comic Books of All Time
Comic issues by record sale # Title Record sale* Quality Publisher Year of sale 1 Superman #1 $5.30 million CGC 8.0 DC Comics 2022 2 …
John Green Statistics
John Green books in order # Date published Title Type Page count Audiobook length 1 March 3, 2005 Looking for Alaska Novel 221 6h40m 2 …
Mr. Men Book Series Statistics
Mr. Men books in order Mr. Men # Date published Title Series type Standard page count 1 August 1971 Mr. Tickle Mr. Men 32 2 …
The Berenstain Bears Book Series Statistics
The Berenstain Bears books in order (by series) (Given list includes titles with multiple publications. Edition variants and new titles may also exist.) Series overview …
Best-Selling Book Series of All Time
Best-selling book series by number of copies sold # Initial year published Series title Original author(s) Genre Copies sold 1 1997 Harry Potter J. K. …
The Chronicles of Narnia Book Series Statistics
The Chronicles of Narnia books in order # Date published Title Original publisher Page count Audiobook length 1 16 October, 1950 The Lion, the Witch …
Brandon Sanderson Statistics
Brandon Sanderson books in order Date published Title Publisher Series Type Page count April 21, 2005 Elantris Tor Books N/A Novel 496 January 1, 2006 …
Margaret Atwood Statistics
Margaret Atwood books in order (*Excluding non-book works such as anthologies as an editor, drawings, television scripts, libretti and audio recordings.) Novels Year published Title …
The Wheel of Time Book Series Statistics
The Wheel of Time books in order # Year published Book title Original publisher Page count Audiobook length 0 2004 New Spring Tor Books 334 …
Bridgerton Book Series Statistics
Bridgerton books in order Year published Book title Category Original publisher Page count Audiobook length 2000 The Duke and I Bridgerton (main) Avon 480 12h …
George Orwell Statistics
How many books has George Orwell written? George Orwell books in order Date published Book title Book type Original publisher Page count Audiobook length Jan …
Academic Publishing Statistics
The academic publishing industry operates with the highest profit margins in the publishing world and beyond. Some of the most profitable academic publishers have bigger …
Academic Publishers Statistics
The academic publishing industry generates around $19 billion annually globally. However, around 50% of that revenue is distributed between only 5 major players. Similarly to …
Book Sales Statistics
In 2016, it was estimated that the number of books sold in one year stands at around 2.2 billion copies. Over 72% of this figure …
Religious Books Sales Statistics
In order to better understand the role of religious books in the book industry, we researched, analyzed, and compiled religious book sales figures. Year Religious …
Educational Publishing Market Statistics
The global educational industry market is valued at $3,173.75 billion in 2022 and is projected to reach $3,421.26 billion in 2023. The US educational market …
Educational Book Sales Statistics
Educational publishing accounts for 31.28% of the publishing industry’s revenue as of 2022. While the educational segment bounced back from the terrible 2020, it’s still …
Audiobook Listening Habits
As the fastest-growing segment in book publishing, audiobooks have been growing in popularity over the last several years. The audio format enables consumers to enjoy …
Audiobook Sales Statistics
Audiobooks have an increasing part in the size and growth of the book market. To better understand audiobooks’ role in the industry, we researched, analyzed, …
Audiobook Statistics
Book publishing has gone through some major innovations over the last decade. After the emergence of ebooks in the early years of the 2000s, it …
Ebooks Sales Statistics
Considering ebooks accounted for 18% of all books sold in the first half of 2021, we wanted to understand better how the ebook industry has …
African American Literacy Statistics
Literacy rates have been shown to be a key factor in determining outcomes of everything from the likelihood of going to prison. On the other …
Open Access Publishing Statistics
Open access academic journals and articles have been on the rise over the past couple of decades. The market for open access publishing is worth …
Number of Academic Papers Published per Year
How many academic articles are published each year? It is estimated that at least 64 million academic papers have been published since the year 1996, …
Time Spent Reading in the US
Even with the numerous benefits that reading brings, the average person uses only a tiny fraction of their free time on this vital activity. Other …
Female Authors Statistics
Publishing is an industry dominated by women – over 74% of all publishing industry employees are declaring as cis women. Even though this is a …
Native American Authors Statistics
While over the last several years massive efforts have been made to promote equality, gender and racial, all across the publishing industry. However, Native Americans …
Hispanic and Latino Author Statistics
This report analyzed the most recent statistics addressing the number of Latino and Hispanic writers and authors in the US, as well as historical trends …
Black Authors Statistics
Diversity and inclusion have been one of the hottest topics in the US over the last few years, and this issue has become especially popular …
Banned Books Statistics
Book banning has a long history in the US and globally. There are records of book bans occurring more than 2,000 years ago, and while …
Most Banned Books of All Time
Determining quantitatively what the most frequently banned book of all time is is not an easy or even possible task. Because there are no reliable …
Global Book Banning Statistics
The earliest records of book banning originate Before the Common Era. From ancient Rome to China, efforts to suppress specific authors and their recorded works …
Impact of Covid-19 on Libraries
2020 was an unusual year in almost any economic sector – some faced severe drawbacks or were even on the brink of collapse, while others …
Library Funding Statistics
How are public libraries funded? US public libraries depend on funding to cover the expenses of their operations, mostly employee wages and library collection maintenance. …
What Impacts Book Publishing
The book publishing industry has increasingly needed to evolve in order to remain influential as a source of entertainment and education. New sources of media …
Library Loans Statistics
How many people borrow books from US libraries? Year Population (million) Registered borrowers (million) Change Share of population that are registered users 2020 327.77 170.61 …
Bookstores Statistics
Over the past few decades there has been a lot of speculation over the demise of the bookstores. As big bookstore chains fall under the …
Library Visit Statistics
How many people visit US public libraries? When it comes to the book industry, the general trend is a migration toward the online experience, whether …
Impact of Social Media on Book Publishing Industry
Goodreads impact on book publishing Number of Goodreads members per year Year Members Change 2019 90 million + 20.00% 2018 75 million + 15.38% 2017 …
Number of Libraries in the US
With the emergence of the digital age, where more and more goods are moved online, the overall trend in the book publishing and distribution market …
Impact of Libraries on Book Publishing
Library circulation by format Public libraries continue to serve as important social institutions for residents to access physical and digital publications free-of-charge. Through the use …
Impact of Book Publishing on Film Industry
Source material for English-language movies Rank Source Percentage #1 Original material 54% #2 Novels 28% #3 Other sources (eg: plays, comics, video games) 11% #4 …
Impact of Book Publishing on Environment
Reducing the impact of book publishing on the environment Publishers have come under increasing pressure to become environmentally friendly in recent years. The industry’s noted …
How Many Bookstores Are There?
Number of bookstores in the US Displayed in the charts below is the number of bookstores in the US from 2012 to 2020: Year Number …
Best-Selling Authors Statistics
Online platforms have made it easier for authors of all backgrounds to publish their titles cross-format, with less dependence on traditional publishers. Despite this, the …
Author Statistics
Due to the continued demand for fiction and nonfiction books alongside the development of growing markets, careers in writing continue to provide valuable opportunities to …
Poetry Sales Statistics
How many people read poetry? Which format do poetry readers prefer? Poetry book sales in the UK Instapoetry statistics Poetry is the most concentrated form …
Black-Owned Bookstores Statistics
Black-owned bookstore statistics Displayed in the charts below is the number of black-owned bookstores: Year Number of bookstores 2023 149 2022 143 2021 113 2020 …
Educational Publishing Statistics
The educational industry is among the biggest industries in the world, worth over $3,000 billion globally. The publishing segment of education, while only a small …
Danielle Steel Statistics
Danielle Steel book sales Year Annual income Change 2011 $35 million 2012 $23 million – 34.29% 2013 $26 million + 13.04% 2014 $22 million – …
Independent Bookstores Statistics
Independent bookstores statistics Displayed in the charts below are the number of Independent bookstores and number of locations since 2009: Year Number of bookstores (thousands) …
Author Demographics Statistics
The use of data to track the demographics of authors has grown in importance as measures to promote equality are increased. By gathering and tracking …
Nora Roberts Statistics
Nora Roberts book sales Year Annual income Change 2011 $23 million 2012 $23 million = 2013 $23 million = 2014 $18 million – 21.74% 2015 …
Odds of Getting Published
Most competitive writing genres (Kindle) # Genre 1 Romance ➔ Contemporary 2 Literature & Fiction ➔ Contemporary Fiction ➔ Women 3 Romance ➔ New Adult …
Comic Book Sales Statistics
Comic book sales by year Year Comic books sales by year (million copies) Change 2012 86 2013 91.8 6.74% 2014 92 0.22% 2015 98 6.52% …
Authors Net Worth Statistics
Authors by highest net worth # Nationality Name Genre Net worth 1 French Élisabeth Badinter Nonfiction $1.3 billion 2 British J.K. Rowling Fantasy $1 billion …
Self-published Books & Authors Sales Statistics
The market for self-published books How much do self-published authors earn per book? Self-publishing put the power of words directly in authors’ hands and word …
Fiction Books Sales Statistics
In the United States book market, fiction books have become the dominant category over the last couple of years. As of 2022, over 52.88% of …
Print Book Sales Statistics
Given the rise of digital publishing in the book industry, we wanted to understand how print book sales have changed over the years. We researched, …
Young Adult Book Sales Statistics
YA consumer structure Best-selling young adult books of all time # Title Author Year published Page count Estimated copies sold* 1 Harry Potter and the …
Children’s Book Sales Statistics
Year Children’s nonfiction sales (million copies) Children’s fiction sales (million copies) 2022 67.0 184.0 2021 75.1 201.9 2020 77.9 184.2 2019 62.2 167.3 2018 59.5 …
Book Publishing Companies Statistics
The global book publishing market was worth $91.39 billion as of 2023. By 2027, it is expected to grow by 7.06% to reach $97.84 billion. …
Online Book Sales Statistics
While most businesses that relied on physical contact between the seller and customer faced some big challenges over the last few years, the e-commerce sector …
Education Book Publishing Companies Statistics
For book publishing companies, the educational publishing market was worth $16 billion dollars (2021) in the US alone. Many large publishers predominantly focus on the …
Global Book Sales Statistics
As the global book publishing industry is coming out of the turbulent pandemic years, which slowed the market’s growth, we’ve decided to look at how …
Impact of Covid-19 on Book Sales
The worldwide pandemic outbreak in 2020 left significant consequences on consumers’ behavior and human behavior in general. While a lot of physical stores closed, e-commerce …
Holiday Book Sales Statistics
The trade book market is traditionally busy during the holiday season, with November and December sales usually accounting for more than 20% of total annual …
Independent Book Publishers Statistics
Fastest growing US independent book publishers By growth # Name of publisher Sales growth 2021 from 2019 1 Microcosm Publishing 207% 2 Blue Star Press …
Adult Book Sales Statistics
Unit sales for adult books Year Total adult book sales (million units sold) Change 2018 431.16 2019 425.61 -1.29% 2020 447.86 5.23% 2021 496.79 10.93% …
Book Publishing Employee Statistics
Book publishing employment statistics by country US book publishing employee statistics Year Book publishing employment statistics – US Change 2013 67,387 – 2014 65,189 – …
Diversity in Book Publishing
Find out about listed black-owned publishing companies in the US and UK. Diversity in US book publishing Racial diversity in US book publishing A chart …
Nonfiction Book Sales Statistics
Nonfiction books sales in the US Nonfiction print unit sales in the US Category 2019 2020 2021 2022 Adult nonfiction 295.08 309.39 322.56 289.34 Juvenile …
Amazon Publishing Statistics
Amazon was initially founded as a bookselling platform in 1995. Since then, the company has gone through massive changes, becoming the world’s biggest retail company …
Best-selling Self-Published Authors on Amazon
Self-published Amazon authors Marie Force LJ Ross Stephanie Bond Rebecca Zanetti Andy Weir Rachel Abbott A.G Riddle Hugh Howey Tricia O’Malley Mark Dawson Jeff Carson …
Amazon Publishing Imprints Statistics
Amazon publishing imprints – overview Publisher Genre Paperback Hardback Total 47North Science fiction and fantasy 524 54 578 AmazonEncore Rediscovered works 310 6 316 Amazon …
Audible Publishing Statistics
Audiobook publishing on Audible Cost of publishing on Audible Authors who decide to publish an audiobook through Audible can expect the following expenses: Audible royalties …
Barnes and Noble Statistics
Barens and Noble sales statistics Barnes and Noble revenue statistics Barnes and Noble’s annual revenue by year Year Revenue ($ Millions) 2019 3.48 2018 3.66 …
Number of Books Published by Amazon Publishing
Total Amazon self-published print books U.S. Year Self-published print books: Amazon Self-published print books: Total Share of self-published print books: Amazon 2007 3,804 66,732 5.70% …
Amazon Publishing Royalties Statistics
Paperback royalties Hardcover royalties E-book royalties Kindle unlimited and kindle owners’ lending library royalties Audible publishing royalties KDP select global fund KDP global fund payout …
Impact of Amazon on the Publishing Industry
Amazon’s impact on self-publishing With the introduction of Amazon’s CreateSpace, now Kindle Direct Publishing, the company revolutionized the self-publishing world. The number of self-published books …
Marvel Comics Sales Statistics
Marvel Comics revenue statistics Title Percentage of Shares Marvel Comics 38.8% DC Comics 24.3% Image Comics 11.9% BOOM! Studios 4.4% Dark Horse Comics 3.2% IDW …
Used Book Sales Statistics
Used book sales by region Best selling used books # Title Author Year published Pages 1 The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People Stephen R. …
Business Book Sales Statistics
Best-selling business books of all time Business and finance books are known to provide practical advice, analyze economic trends and share real-world case studies, with …
Self-Help Books Statistics
Self-Help books sales statistics Best selling Self-Help books of all time Title Author Copies Sold* Think and Grow Rich Napoleon Hill 70 million The Alchemist …
Kodansha Financial Statistics
Kodansha sales statistics Kodansha annual revenue since 2012 Year Revenue (JP¥ Million) Revenue ($ Million) 2021 171 1.26 2020 145 1.07 2019 136 1.01 2018 …
Scholastic Statistics
Scholastic revenue statistics The complete breakdown on annual revenue data for Scholastic since 2013 is presented in the table below: Year Annual revenue ($ million) …
Toni Morrison Statistics
Toni Morrison sales statistics How many books has Toni Morrison written? Toni Morrison books in order Novels Title Page Count Released Audio Length The Bluest …
Diana Gabaldon Statistics
Diana Gabaldon sales statistics How many books has Diana Gabaldon written? Diana Gabaldon books in order Title Page Count Released Audio Length Outlander 850 1991 …
Madeline Miller Statistics
Madeline Miller sales statistics How many books has Madeline Miller written? Madeline Miller books in order Novels Title Published Page Count Audio Length Song of …
Charlotte Brontë Statistics
Charlotte Brontë sales statistics What types of publications did Charlotte Brontë write? Charlotte Brontë books in order # Title Audiobook length Number of pages Year …
Kristin Hannah Statistics
Kristin Hannah sales statistics How many books has Kristin Hannah written? Kristin Hannah books in order # Title Page count Year published 1 A Handful …
The Big Five Publishers Statistics
The Big Five publishing houses are: In 2021, Penguin Random House started the purchase of Simon & Schuster for over $2 billion, which would change …
Penguin Random House Statistics
Penguin Random House revenue statistics The complete breakdown on annual revenue data for Penguin Random House since 2013 are presented in the table below: Year …
Print Book vs. E-Book Sales Statistics
Year Number of ebooks sold (million) Number of print books sold (million) 2010 69 718 2011 165 651 2012 215 591 2013 242 620 2014 …
Amazon Print Book Sales Statistics
Amazon is the biggest retailer of print books in the world. The company controls the majority of the print book market, with the estimates that …
Macmillan Publishers Sales Statistics
Macmillan Publishing revenue statistics The annual revenue of Macmillan Publishers, along with the year-over-year growth, is presented in the table below: Year Revenue ($ million) …
Amazon Kindle, E-book, and Kindle Unlimited Statistics
Kindle is the biggest player in the ebook market, even though its share in Amazon book sales has been on the decline over the last …
Simon & Schuster Book Sales Statistics
Simon & Schuster revenue statistics Annual sales revenues for Simon & Schuster, along with the growth figures, are presented in the table below: Year Revenue …
Amazon Book Sales Statistics
Amazon books sales statistics Amazon book publishing statistics Amazon e-book sales statistics Amazon audiobook sales statistics WordsRated tracks the numbers behind the book industry and …
Hachette Book Group Sales Statistics
Hachette book sales revenue Hachette’s annual publishing revenue is presented in the table below. Year Revenue (€ million) Revenue ($ million) Change (%) 2021 2,598 …
Roald Dahl Statistics
Roald Dahl’s sales statistics How many books did Roald Dahl write? What books did Roald Dahl write? Roald Dahl’s novels Title Published Page Count Audiobook …
HarperCollins Sales Statistics
Harper Collins book sales income and revenue statistics Fiscal year Revenue ($ million) Change (%) EBITDA ($ million) Change (%) 2022 2,191 10.38% 306 0.99% …
Dr. Seuss Statistics
Dr. Seuss’ sales statistics Who was Dr. Seuss? How many books did Dr. Seuss write? List of Dr. Seuss books Published during Dr. Seuss’s lifetime …
Paulo Coelho Statistics
How many copies of Paulo Coelho’s books have been sold? How much money has Paulo Coelho earned from writing? How many books did Paulo Coelho …
Rick Riordan Statistics
How many copies of Rick Riordan’s books have been sold? How much did Rick Riordan earn from writing? How many books did Rick Riordan publish? …
Harper Lee Statistics
How many copies of Harper Lee’s books have been sold? How much did Harper Lee earn from writing? How many books did Harper Lee write? …
Agatha Christie Statistics
Agatha Christie book sales statistics How many books has Agatha Christie written? # Title Published Page Count Audiobook length Series 1 The Mysterious Affair at …
John Grisham Statistics
John Grisham’s sales statistics How many books has John Grisham written? Book Title Published Page Count Audiobook Length A Time to Kill 1989 672 16 …
Jane Austen Books Statistics
How many copies of Jane Austen’s books have been sold? How many books did Jane Austen publish? Jane Ausaten novels in order Title Published Chapters …
Taylor Jenkins Reid Statistics
Taylor Jenkins Reid sales statistics Taylor Jenkins Reid Books in order # Title Publish Date Page Count Audiobook Length 1 Forever, Interrupted July 9, 2013 …
James Patterson Statistics
James Patterson book sales statistics How many books has James Patterson written? For Adults Novels 179 Short Story Collections and Novellas 78 Non-fiction 15 For …
Colleen Hoover (Author) Statistics
Colleen Hoover sales statistics Colleen Hoover, TikTok and social media How many books has Colleen Hoover published? # Title Year Page Count Audiobook Length 1 …
Stephen King Statistics
Stephen King sales statistics Stephen King writes about language with as much care as he writes about horror, his memoir On Writing is one of …
James Bond Book Statistics
James Bond book sales statistics How many James Bond books are there? Author No. of Books John Gardener 16 Ian Fleming 14 Raymond Benson 12 …
The Hunger Games (Novel Series) Statistics
The Hunger Games sales statistics When were The Hunger Games books published in order? The Hunger Games series is made up of the three main …
Goosebumps Books Statistics
How many Goosebumps books were sold? How many books are in the Goosebumps series? Goosebumps got generations of young readers hooked and daily word puzzles …
Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Book Series Statistics
Diary of a Wimpy Kid sales statistics When were the Diary of a Wimpy Kid books published in order? # Name Publish Date 1 Diary …
Twilight (Novel Series) Statistics
Twilight is the most popular vampire series in history with an estimated 160 million copies sold in 49 different languages. Twilight Sales Statistics When were …
Romance Novel Sales Statistics
Year (12 months ending May) Romance print copies sold (in millions) Growth 2023 39 52.00% 2022 26 36.00% 2021 19 11.76% 2020 17 -5.56% 2019 …
Science Fiction Book Sales Statistics
What are the best-selling science fiction books of all time? Known for exploring new concepts, addressing complex issues and challenging conventional thinking, science fiction titles …
Fantasy Book Sales Statistics
What are the best-selling fantasy books of all time? Title Author Copies sold* 1 Harry Potter Series J.K. Rowling 500 million 2 The Lord of …
Bestselling Books Have Never Been Shorter [Study of 3,444 NYT Bestselling Titles]
We analyzed 3,444 titles that were ranked top3 on NYT weekly bestseller lists from 2011 to 2021 to examine how the length of the most …
Get Paid to Read Books [Permanently Closed]
There are no plans to re-open this position [23/05/2024]. Are you a passionate reader who is ready to turn over a new page? Your next …
23% Decrease in Black Characters in Children’s Bestsellers as BLM Bounce Fades
Reading has proven to be extremely important to a child’s development. They are more likely to engage if they come across a character or story …
State of US Public Libraries – More Popular & Digital Than Ever
This is a comprehensive analysis of the current state of public libraries in the US and the mapping of trends from 1992-2019. This report analyzes …
32 Bible Sales Statistics
The Bible makes up a large portion of religious book sales and revenue. In order to better understand its place in the book market, we …
Number of Books Published per Year
Number of books published by major publishers The Big 5 dominates the book publishing market in terms of revenue from book sales when compared to …
America’s Favorite Books (Survey of 76,000 Americans)
WordsRated received over 76,000 survey replies on our website where users let us know what their favorite book is. Here we have collated the replies …
America’s Favorite Authors (Survey of 76,000 Americans)
WordsRated received over 76,000 survey replies on our website where users let us know what their favorite book is and from this, we were able …
Reading Habits Around the World
What percentage of people do not read? What percentage of people around the world read every week? How are reading habits changing around the world? …
Thriller and Mystery Book Sales Statistics
Best-selling thriller and mystery books of all time # Title Author Year published Page count Estimated copies sold* 1 And Then There Were None Agatha …
Memoirs and Autobiography Sales Statistics
Best-selling memoirs and autobiographies Memoirs and autobiographies of famous and influential people are always in demand from readers, with some of the genre’s titles even …
Reading Speed Statistics
There are numerous benefits of reading – from helping with your focus and memory to developing empathy and communication skills. In order to understand how …
Percy Jackson Book Series Statistics
Percy Jackson series sales statistics Percy Jackson series earnings Percy Jackson built one of the most devoted young reader fanbases in publishing history and daily …
Lord of the Rings Statistics
Top Lord of the Rings stats Getting Lord of the Rings published Lord of the Rings book sales The Lord of the Rings series is …
Harry Potter Books Stats and Facts
Harry Potter book sales Harry Potter books are the best-selling fantasy book series of all time and the best-selling books series overall, having sold over …
Game of Thrones Book Series Statistics
Top Game of Thrones books stats Game of Thrones vs A Song of Ice and Fire “Game of Thrones” is the HBO TV series and …