Promoting Yorkshire Authors

eBook Market 2025/2026 

Here’s a current snapshot of the eBook market in 2025–2026), its size and who controls it.

PYA have got it covered when it comes to selling physical books - essential for some kinds of books like picture books, cooking, travel, non-fiction and so on - as we organise book fair type events where members can promote and sell their wares.

There's a whole market for electronic books (eBooks) and it's growing so we've created a couple of blog posts dedicated to exploiting the eBook market plus the process - quite different to traditional books - of getting your book noticed and sold.

Remember that Amazon controls the majority of the eBook market and our advice - if you can't beat them (you can't), join them.

Overall eBook Market Size & Growth

The global eBook market is large and growing fast. Roughly $50–60 billion eBooks were sold globally in the fiscal year 2025–2026. It is forecast to exceed $200 billion by 2034. A further estimate places the retail market around $23–24 billion in 2025.

Growth Drivers:

Surprisingly, smartphones are used as primary reading devices and subscription models account for approximately~56% of the market, driven by self-publishing and/or indie authors plus the rise in education and professional digital content.

The market has expanded as a  separate digital media market and is no longer a niche.

Dominant Players

Amazon is by far the most dominant player in the eBook market place, controlling:  around 67–80% of eBook sales in major markets, up to approximately 88% of UK sales and it owns the entire ecosystem for eBooks, namely: Kindle devices, Kindle Store, Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP) and Kindle Unlimited subscription. This vertical integration is why Amazon is dominant as it controls book creation, distribution, reading device and  subscription through Amazon Prime - difficult if not impossible to usurp.

Much Smaller Second-tier Players 

There are some meaningful eBook players but none are close to Amazon in market domination.

The second tier eBook companies include: Apple Book with a 10–14% share, Google Play Books, much smaller but with a global presence, Kobo (Rakuten) who are strong in Canada and parts of Europe, and Barnes & Noble (Nook) who are declining but still relevant in the US.

Combined, these players split most of what Amazon doesn’t control.

Subscription & Alternative Platforms

The major platforms for subscription/commercially based lending (as distinct from public libraries) are Scribd or Everand type platforms which share 7–8% of the market in niche segments.

For public library lending Libby or OverDrive (Borrowbox) dominate.

Recent challengers like Bookshop.org are trying to support indie stores but are small players at present. An important trend is that subscription is becoming as prevalent as outright sales.

Market Intelligence

The eBook market is highly concentrated with over 95% of eBook sales go through just a handful of platforms, with some regional variations. Amazon dominates in the UK, US, Germany and Canada with  competition growing in Asia (local platforms emerging) and both France and Japan (where there are strong domestic platforms).

Dynamics shaping the market:

• Platform lock-in. Kindle ecosystem is closed (with proprietary formats, digital rights management[DRM]) and it makes switching platforms difficult.
• Self-publishing explosion. Amazon KDP is the default route for indie authors. A massive volume of books is created, thousands daily.
• Subscription shift. Kindle Unlimited and similar services are changing how authors get paid (per page read) and how readers consume books.
• Discovery problem. The real competition isn’t publishing, it is being found when there's a flood of new releases every day.

What this means for PYA Members, both Traditionally Published and Independently Published

Amazon is the gatekeeper of the eBook market. You can publish elsewhere but you’ll likely miss the majority of readers. The real strategic choice is whether to go exclusive (Amazon/KDP Select) or go wide (multi-platform, smaller reach per platform). Our advice - bite the bullet, swallow your pride and go Amazon.

Sources

[1]: https://www.fortunebusinessinsights.com/ebook-market-111315?utm_source=chatgpt.com "Ebook Market Share, Size, Growth & Trend, 2034"

[2]: https://dataintelo.com/report/e-books-market?utm_source=chatgpt.com "E-books Market Research Report 2034"

[3]: https://www.mordorintelligence.com/industry-reports/e-book-market/market-size?utm_source=chatgpt.com "Ebook Market Share, Size, Trends & Industry Analysis"

[4]: https://about.ebooks.com/ebook-industry-news-feed/?utm_source=chatgpt.com "Ebook Industry News Feed: News from the world of digital books"

[5]: https://www.wmtips.com/technologies/ebooks/?utm_source=chatgpt.com "Top 12 Ebook Technologies in 2025"

[6]: https://goodereader.com/blog/e-book-news/what-market-share-do-amazon-apple-bn-kobo-and-google-have-selling-ebooks?utm_source=chatgpt.com "What market share do Amazon, Apple, B&N Kobo and Google have selling eBooks? - Good e-Reader"

[7]: https://dataintelo.com/report/ebook-sales-platform-market?utm_source=chatgpt.com "Ebook Sales Platform Market Research Report 2034"

[8]: https://goodereader.com/blog/electronic-readers/amazon-is-the-dominant-player-in-ebook-sales?utm_source=chatgpt.com "Amazon is the Dominant Force in E-books - Good e-Reader"