Hachette Book Group Sales Statistics

Hachette Book Group Sales Statistics

Hachette book sales revenue

  • As of December 2021, Hachette Book Group operates with an annual revenue of €2,598 million ($3,066 million). This is a 9.39% increase compared to 2020.
  • This makes Hachette Book Group the second-largest book publisher in the world in terms of revenue, trailing only Penguin Random House and in front of HarperCollins ($2.19 billion).
  • 2021 is the first year in the publisher’s history with annual revenue exceeding $3 billion.
  • The sales revenue for Hachette rose to €1,996 million from January to September 2022, which is a 9.31% increase compared to the same period last year.
  • The company’s earnings before interest and taxes (EBIT) amounted to €351 million in 2021 ($414 million), which is 42.7% more compared to the 2020 report.
  • As of 2021, Hachette book sales account for 10.5% of total global book sales, which is basically at the same level as in 2020 (10.4%).
  • As of 2021, Hachette publishing sales revenue generates over 50% of the total revenue of Lagardere Group, which owns Hachette Book Group.
  • Looking by the format, revenue distribution among print, e-book, and audiobooks as of 2021 stands as follows:
    • Print books account for 88.5% of Hachette’s annual revenue, which stands at €2,299 million.
    • Ebook sales account for 7.7% of the company’s revenue, standing at €200 million.
    • Audiobook sales present 3.8% of Hachette’s book publishing revenue, with €98.7 million as of 2021.
  • Digital book formats account for 11.5% of the total annual book sales revenue in Hachette as of 2021, with ebooks contributing 7.7% and audiobooks 3.8% of the publisher’s revenue.
  • Ebook and audiobook revenue share dropped in 2021 compared to 2020, which was a very strong year for digital formats amid the Covid-19 pandemic and worldwide lockdown.

Hachette’s annual publishing revenue is presented in the table below.

YearRevenue (€ million)Revenue ($ million)Change (%)
20212,5983,0669.39%
20202,3752,708-0.38%
20192,3842,6705.86%
20182,2522,657-1.62%
20172,2892,5871.10%
20162,2642,5132.63%
20152,2062,44910.08%
20142,0042,665-3.00%
20132,0662,748-0.53%
20122,0772,6791.91%
20112,0382,833-5.87%
20102,1652,879
  • Over the last 11 years, Hachette’s publishing revenue increased by €433 million, which is a 20% growth.
  • Hachette’s book sales revenue has been increasing by 1.8% per year, on average, over the last 11 years.
  • 6 of the last 11 years the company recorded an increase in annual revenue compared to the previous year.
  • The largest revenue growth was in 2015, when it increased by 10.1%, while the largest drop in revenue came in 2011, when it was 5.9% lower compared to 2010.

The graphic presentation of Hachette’s book sales revenue and EBIT change over the years is presented on the chart below:

Hachette e-book sales statistics

Hachette e-book sales statistics

  • As of 2021, Hachette generates over €200 million annually from sales of ebooks.
  • This accounts for 7.7% of Hachette’s total book sales revenue.
  • Ebook sales revenue in Hachette dropped by 11.3% compared to the 2020 year, which was a record year for digital sales for the company.
  • In 2020, during lockdowns caused by the pandemic, ebook sales revenue increased by 23% compared to 2019 and stood at the record €257 million mark.
  • That year, 9.5% of Hachette’s book sales revenue came from ebook sales.
  • From January to September 2022, Hachette already netted €180 million from ebook sales, which accounts for 9% of total sales revenue over this period.

Annual revenue from ebook sales and their share in overall book sales for Hachette are presented in the table below:

YearRevenue (€ million)Revenue ($ million)Change (%)Share in total revenue (%)
2021200236-11.34%7.7%
202022625722.91%9.5%
20191842063.18%7.7%
2018178210-1.62%7.9%
2017181204-0.16%7.9%
20161812018.0%

Changes in Hachette’s annual ebook sales revenue is presented graphically on the chart below:

Hachette audiobook sales statistics

  • As of 2021, annual audiobook sales revenue in Hachette stands at €99 million, a figure €3 million lower compared to the record-breaking 2020.
  • Audiobook sales account for 3.8% of Hachette’s annual revenue as of 2021. This figure is lower only to pandemic-lead 4.3% share in 2020.
  • From 2017 to 2021, audiobook sales revenue in Hachette increased by €53 million, which is a 115% jump.
  • From January 2022 to September 2022, Hachette’s audiobook sales stood at €80 million, which is 11% more compared to the same period last year.
  • This accounts for 4% of the company’s book sales revenue during this time.
YearRevenue (€ million)Revenue ($ million)Change (%)Share in total revenue (%)
202199116-3.33%3.8%
202010211625.99%4.3%
2019819133.31%3.4%
2018617232.82%2.7%
201746522.0%

Graphical presentation of Hachette’s audiobook sales revenue is presented on the chart below:

Hachette book publishing statistics

  • As of 2022, Hachette publishes over 2,100 new titles every year across both print and digital formats.
  • In 2019, the company published 1,800 new titles, while in 2016, it published over 1,600 new books.
  • 8% of books published by Hachette in a year end up on the NYT bestsellers list, including 34 titles that ranked no.1 on the list.