Australia, India, the U.K. and the U.S. lead the world in e-book adoption rates, according to Bowker Market Research’s Global eBook Monitor, released on March 27. In each of those countries, more than 20 percent of respondents report purchasing e-books in the six months before the survey, and about a third of respondents in the U.K. and U.S. say they have plans to purchase an e-book soon.
Over 50 percent of respondents from Brazil and India said that they are likely to buy an e-book in the next six months. If they follow through, that would double the number of e-book buyers in India, and triple the number in Brazil.
In most countries surveyed, men are more likely than women to buy an e-book and younger people more likely than older people.
More granular U.S. ebook data is available from the Association of American Publishers, according to Digital Book World.
E-books saw $128.8 million in revenue in January 2012 versus $73.2 million in January 2011, a 76 percent increase. Children’s e-book revenue grew at the greatest rate, up 475.1 percent to $22.6 million from $3.9 million. However adult trade e-books were up the most in real dollars to $99.5 million from $66.6 million. Religious e-books grew 150.7 percent to $6.7 million, from $2.7 million.
About Meredith Schwartz