New York; May 15, 2013—eBooks are now fully embedded in the format infrastructure of Trade book publishing according to BookStats Volume 3, the most comprehensive survey capturing the size and scope of the US book publishing industry in calendar year 2012. The report is now available for purchase.

The consistent growth of eBooks demonstrates that publishers have successfully evolved the technology environment for their content — more so than other historically print-based content industries. eBooks grew 45% since 2011 and now constitute 20% of the Trade market, playing an integral role in 2012 Trade revenue. The most pivotal driver of eBooks remains Adult Fiction, with Children’s/Young Adult also showing strong numbers.

Other highlights from the report:

Trade publishing (general-interest fiction and non-fiction for adults, children and young adults and religion) experienced significant growth since 2011

The increases were fueled by a year of strong new releases, particularly in the romance genre, and even more widespread popularity of eBooks than in past years. This growth occurred despite the loss of numerous brick-and-mortar stores in 2012 and a lower cost for eBooks than print books, which translated to higher quantities of eBooks sold.

Consumers love to read and want books in all the formats available to them

While eBooks keep growing, hardcover and trade paperback formats continued to hold steady in 2012. The audiobook format, which has shown momentum over the past few years with the rise of mobile devices and interest in purchasing quality downloadable content for them, also remains solid.

Since its debut edition covering 2008-2010, BookStats has been a co-production of the Association of American Publishers and the Book Industry Study Group. Volume 3 captures net revenue and units for all key publishing categories, sectors, formats and main genres, providing a five-year historical track that encompasses the digital transition. It also examines trends in publishers’ sales channels including retail, institutional and other categories.

BookStats is available in three forms: an executive summary, a full report and an online data dashboard. Purchasing information