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US NAICS OD4579 | Industry Report

E-Book Publishing in the US Industry Data and Analysis

AP
Alex Petridis
Analyst New York, United States October 2025

The e-book publishing industry has undergone volatile behavior throughout the past decade. While e-book sales surged with the introduction of new mobile devices, industry-relevant revenue has wavered as consumer interest in e-books has diminished. There are signs that consumers may be fatigued with digital media texts and continue to consume printed material alone or in tandem with e-books and audiobooks when seeking longer-form book content. The pandemic and ensuing depletion of brick-and-mortar retail book sales enabled e-books to take advantage of opportune circumstances to climb. Major publishers have increasingly focused on digital catalogs, recognizing the advantages of lower production costs and instant availability. Industry revenue is slated to inch downward at an annualized rate of 0.8% to $4.4 billion through the end of 2025. Wavering college attendance throughout the period in unison with dips in per capita disposable income and the percentage of business conducted online, soured revenue in 2022. These dynamics have since alleviated and revenue has achieved a positive growth of 2.5% in 2025. This comes as profit, measured as earnings before interest and taxes, is on track to slide to 13.3% of industry revenue.

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What's included in this industry analysis

IBISWorld's research coverage on the E-Book Publishing industry in the United States includes market sizing, forecasting, data and analysis from 2015-2030. The most recent publication was released October 2025.

About this industry

What's this industry report about?

The E-Book Publishing industry in the United States operates under the NAICS industry code OD4579. Companies in the E-Book Publishing industry design books that are already in print for a digital format, and discover, edit and design books that are published exclusively in digital formats. The industry does not include authors who self-publish; for information on this see the Performers and Creative Artists industry report (IBISWorld report 71151). Related terms covered in the E-Book Publishing industry in the United States include adoption, e-book, ghostwriter, trade book, hot spot, broadband, e-reader and tablet.

What's included in this industry?

Products and services covered in E-Book Publishing industry in the United States include Adult trade books, Textbooks and general reference books and Professional, technical and scholarly books.

What companies are included in this industry?

Companies covered in the E-Book Publishing industry in the United States include Amazon.Com, Inc. and Smashwords Inc.

Performance

What's included in the Performance chapter?

The Performance chapter covers detailed analysis, datasets, detailed current performance, sources of volatility and an outlook with forecasts for the E-Book Publishing industry in the United States.

Questions answered in this chapter include what's driving current industry performance, what influences industry volatility, how do successful businesses overcome volatility, what's driving the industry outlook. This analysis is supported with data and statistics on industry revenues, costs, profits, businesses and employees.

Products & Markets

What's included in the Products and Markets chapter?

The Products and Markets chapter covers detailed products and service segmentation and analysis of major markets for the for the E-Book Publishing industry in the United States.

Questions answered in this chapter include how are the industry's products and services performing, what are innovations in industry products and services, what products or services do successful businesses offer and what's influencing demand from the industry's markets. This includes data and statistics on industry revenues by product and service segmentation and major markets.

Geographic Breakdown

What's included in the Geographic Breakdown chapter?

The Geographic Breakdown chapter covers detailed analysis and datasets on regional performance of the E-Book Publishing industry in the United States.

Questions answered in this chapter include where are industry businesses located and how do businesses use location to their advantage. This includes data and statistics on industry revenues by location.

Competitive Forces

What's included in the Competitive Forces chapter?

The Competitive Forces chapter covers the concentration, barriers to entry and supplier and buyer profiles in the E-Book Publishing industry in the United States. This includes data and statistics on industry market share concentration, barriers to entry, substitute products and buyer & supplier power.

Questions answered in this chapter include what impacts the industry's market share concentration, how do successful businesses handle concentration, what challenges do potential industry entrants face, how can potential entrants overcome barriers to entry, what are substitutes for industry services, how do successful businesses compete with substitutes and what power do buyers and suppliers have over the industry and how do successful businesses manage buyer & supplier power.

Companies

What's included in the Companies chapter?

The Companies chapter covers Key Takeaways, Market Share and Companies in the E-Book Publishing industry in the United States. This includes data and analysis on companies operating in the industry that hold a market share greater than 5%.

Questions answered in this chapter include what companies have a meaningful market share and how each company is performing.

External Environment

What's included in the External Environment chapter?

The External Environment chapter covers Key Takeaways, External Drivers, Regulation & Policy and Assistance in the E-Book Publishing industry in the United States. This includes data and statistics on factors impacting industry revenue such as economic indicators, regulation, policy and assistance programs.

Questions answered in this chapter include what demographic and macroeconomic factors impact the industry, what regulations impact the industry, what assistance is available to this industry.

Financial Benchmarks

What's included in the Financial Benchmarks chapter?

The Financial Benchmarks chapter covers Key Takeaways, Cost Structure, Financial Ratios, Valuation Multiples and Key Ratios in the E-Book Publishing industry in the United States. This includes financial data and statistics on industry performance including key cost inputs, profitability, key financial ratios and enterprise value multiples.

Questions answered in this chapter include what trends impact industry costs and how financial ratios have changed overtime.

Industry Data

What's included in the Industry Data chapter?

The Industry Data chapter includes 10 years of historical data with 5 years of forecast data covering statistics like revenue, industry value add, establishments, enterprises, employment and wages in the E-Book Publishing industry in the United States.

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Frequently Asked Questions

What is the market size of the E-Book Publishing industry in the United States in 2026?

The market size of the E-Book Publishing industry in the United States is $4.4bn in 2026.

How many businesses are there in the E-Book Publishing industry in the United States in 2025?

There are 251 businesses in the E-Book Publishing industry in the United States, which has declined at a CAGR of 3.8 % between 2020 and 2025.

How may import tariffs affect the E-Book Publishing industry in the United States?

The E-Book Publishing industry in the United States is unlikely to be materially impacted by import tariffs with imports accounting for a low share of industry revenue.

How may export tariffs affect the E-Book Publishing industry in the United States?

The E-Book Publishing industry in the United States is unlikely to be materially impacted by export tariffs with exports accounting for a low share of industry revenue.

Has the E-Book Publishing industry in the United States grown or declined over the past 5 years?

The market size of the E-Book Publishing industry in the United States has been declining at a CAGR of 0.8 % between 2020 and 2025.

What is the forecast growth of the E-Book Publishing industry in the United States over the next 5 years?

Over the next five years, the E-Book Publishing industry in the United States is expected to grow.

What are the biggest companies in the E-Book Publishing industry in the United States?

The biggest companies operating in the E-Book Publishing industry in the United States are Amazon.Com, Inc. and Smashwords Inc.

What does the E-Book Publishing industry in the United States include?

Publishing electronic textbooks and general reference books and Publishing electronic adult trade books are part of the E-Book Publishing industry in the United States.

Which companies have the highest market share in the E-Book Publishing industry in the United States?

The company holding the most market share in the E-Book Publishing industry in the United States is Amazon.Com, Inc..

How competitive is the E-Book Publishing industry in the United States?

The level of competition is high and increasing in the E-Book Publishing industry in the United States.

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