Here's a fact that contradicts everything the publishing industry predicted 15 years ago:
Print books outsell eBooks 3:1 on Amazon.
In 2010, industry analysts were certain: digital would dominate. eBooks would become the primary format. Print would become a niche luxury item. Publishers scrambled to acquire eBook rights. Authors were told to optimize for Kindle.
It didn't happen.
In 2024, print books still represent 50.5% of total publishing revenue. They're growing faster than eBooks. And on Amazon—the platform that literally created the Kindle and pioneered eBook retail—print outsells digital by a 3:1 margin.
This has massive implications for how you should think about your book strategy. And it explains why so many authors who chased the "digital future" are now watching their eBook sales plateau.
On Amazon specifically:
The pattern is clear: print is resilient, eBooks have plateaued, and the "digital future" never arrived.
There are several structural reasons why print has refused to follow the predicted decline:
Despite eBook convenience, reader surveys consistently show:
This isn't sentiment—it's actual behavior. Readers vote with their wallets.
eBooks optimized for convenience (cheap, instant, portable). But reading isn't just about information transfer. It's an experience:
eBooks can't replicate this experience. And readers have decided the experience matters.
In an era of digital oversaturation, physical books function as:
This is particularly true for younger readers (Gen Z), who use books as aesthetic objects on Instagram and TikTok.
BookTok, Bookstagram, and other social platforms are visual-first. Book hauls, shelf organization, and "cozy reading" aesthetics all require physical books.
You can't make an aesthetically pleasing BookTok with an eBook. This drives print discovery and sales.
When Amazon launched the Kindle and eBooks, the pitch was: "Digital books will be cheaper."
That didn't happen. Here's why:
So eBooks weren't cheaper and didn't significantly benefit authors. The economic advantage never materialized.
Kindle Unlimited and other eBook subscription services initially drove growth. But they created a ceiling:
The subscription model helped eBooks reach a plateau, then created incentives for publishers and authors to de-emphasize them.
Understanding why eBooks plateaued is important because it reveals market realities:
eBooks are priced too high relative to print for many consumers:
The price gap doesn't justify the convenience for many readers. So they buy print.
Readers intuitively understand: when you buy an eBook, you're buying a license, not ownership.
Amazon can:
Readers who experienced this once learned: print ownership is more secure than digital rental.
eBooks require devices (Kindle, phone, tablet). Reading on screens causes:
Print doesn't have these problems.
Print books are readable in 100 years. eBooks require:
Future-proofing favors print.
If you're deciding how to publish your book, the data is clear:
Smart authors produce books in all three formats (print, eBook, audiobook), but:
Independent bookstores have grown 70% since 2020. Why?
Because print books are their inventory. Bookstores live and die on physical books.
This creates opportunity for authors:
Print books are the path to independent bookstore placement:
eBooks don't create bookstore opportunities. Print books do.
Print books enable:
These are high-value marketing activities that drive awareness and sales.
A print book in a bookstore can:
eBooks rarely do these things because they're invisible—you can't point to them on a shelf or hand them to someone at a talk.
There's a psychological component to print's persistence that shouldn't be underestimated:
A published print book signals:
eBooks carry no such signal (unfairly, but that's the perception).
Print books feel permanent. They sit on shelves for decades. eBooks feel fragile and temporary.
This affects how readers value the content.
You gift print books. You don't gift eBooks (except to people you know have e-readers). This limits eBook reach.
Print books look good on Instagram. eBooks don't. In a visual-first culture, this matters.
If you're publishing with Brown Books, here's what you need to know:
When we talk about your book strategy, print distribution and retail placement should be central, not peripheral.
We include eBook versions in our publishing packages, but the focus is print.
With our relationships across independent bookstores, print books create concrete placement opportunities that eBooks don't.
Print books enable bookstore events, signings, and physical promotion that drive visibility.
The publishing industry spent 15 years waiting for print to die. It didn't. Print is thriving. If your publishing strategy ignores print, you're ignoring where readers actually are.
