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 ($414 million), which is 42.7% more compared to the 2020 report.
- As of 2021, Hachette book sales account for 10.5% of total global book sales, which is basically at the same level as in 2020 (10.4%).
- As of 2021, Hachette publishing sales revenue generates over 50% of the total revenue of Lagardere Group, which owns Hachette Book Group.
- Looking by the format, revenue distribution among print, e-book, and audiobooks as of 2021 stands as follows:
- Print books account for 88.5% of Hachette’s annual revenue, which stands at €2,299 million.
- Ebook sales account for 7.7% of the company’s revenue, standing at €200 million.
- Audiobook sales present 3.8% of Hachette’s book publishing revenue, with €98.7 million as of 2021.
- Digital book formats account for 11.5% of the total annual book sales revenue in Hachette as of 2021, with ebooks contributing 7.7% and audiobooks 3.8% of the publisher’s revenue.
- Ebook and audiobook revenue share dropped in 2021 compared to 2020, which was a very strong year for digital formats amid the Covid-19 pandemic and worldwide lockdown.
Hachette’s annual publishing revenue is presented in the table below.
| Year | Revenue (€ million) | Revenue ($ million) | Change (%) |
| 2021 | 2,598 | 3,066 | 9.39% |
| 2020 | 2,375 | 2,708 | -0.38% |
| 2019 | 2,384 | 2,670 | 5.86% |
| 2018 | 2,252 | 2,657 | -1.62% |
| 2017 | 2,289 | 2,587 | 1.10% |
| 2016 | 2,264 | 2,513 | 2.63% |
| 2015 | 2,206 | 2,449 | 10.08% |
| 2014 | 2,004 | 2,665 | -3.00% |
| 2013 | 2,066 | 2,748 | -0.53% |
| 2012 | 2,077 | 2,679 | 1.91% |
| 2011 | 2,038 | 2,833 | -5.87% |
| 2010 | 2,165 | 2,879 |
- 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
- 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:
| Year | Revenue (€ million) | Revenue ($ million) | Change (%) | Share in total revenue (%) |
| 2021 | 200 | 236 | -11.34% | 7.7% |
| 2020 | 226 | 257 | 22.91% | 9.5% |
| 2019 | 184 | 206 | 3.18% | 7.7% |
| 2018 | 178 | 210 | -1.62% | 7.9% |
| 2017 | 181 | 204 | -0.16% | 7.9% |
| 2016 | 181 | 201 | 8.0% |
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.
| Year | Revenue (€ million) | Revenue ($ million) | Change (%) | Share in total revenue (%) |
| 2021 | 99 | 116 | -3.33% | 3.8% |
| 2020 | 102 | 116 | 25.99% | 4.3% |
| 2019 | 81 | 91 | 33.31% | 3.4% |
| 2018 | 61 | 72 | 32.82% | 2.7% |
| 2017 | 46 | 52 | 2.0% |
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.