Book market revenue in Germany 2017-2026

In 2021, the German book market generated a revenue of over 7.9 billon euros from print book sales and almost 790 million euros from e-books. Revenue for both segments has remained stable during the period of consideration, with e-book revenue even rising in recent years. The German book market lives on.

Book retail

Despite repeated dire warnings about reading dying out and bookshops suffering as a result, Germans have not stopped reading or buying books, whether physically or online. Of course, the traditional book trade does face challenges, especially with the rise of e-books. Revenue development in the German book trade has fluctuated during the last two years, which was undoubtedly not without the influence of the COVID-19 lockdowns of 2020 and 2021, when physical book retail locations were closed for months on end and book sales through those channels took a big hit. Brick and mortar shops stocking books were still the leading source of revenue among book buying locations, followed by mail order (whether from a shop or buying online in general).

Curled up with a book

German readers reach for a variety of genres when making their book choices. Preferences and trends, or, more specifically, sales figures, change periodically. Most recently, leading subjects included travel, fiction and children's books. 14.4 million Germans read for leisure several times a week.