The e-book market - France (2024)

1.2 Global market

According to Mordor Intelligencethe global digital book market is valued at $**.** billion and is expected to grow at a CAGR of *.**% between **** and ****, reaching $**.** billion.

World market for digital books World, ****-****, in billions of dollars Source: ****

This upward trend can be attributed to a number of factors, not least the sophistication of reading tools, which is bringing the reading experience ever closer to that of a paper book. Ease of use and transportation also play an important role in the adoption of digital books by readers around the world. Not to mention fast, immediate access to a large number of books through apps and subscriptions such as at Amazon, Fnac or Cultura.

An increase in the number of ebook readers was noted during the covid period, as this was more convenient than obtaining paper books during the pandemic.

Some governments also launched campaigns to save trees and protect the environment, which also contributed to an increase in demand for digital books in many parts of the world.

On the global market, there are * leading players:

Amazon (***) Apple (***) Rakuten Kobo (***) Barnes & Noble (***) Smashwords (***)

1.3 Marché National

In the French digital book market, total sales grew at a negative annual rate of *.**%, from ***.* million euros to *** million euros from **** to ****. Trend in total digital publishing sales France, ****-****, in millions of euros Source: Syndicat National de l'Edition Variations in total eBook sales in France can be attributed to fluctuations in market segments. The literature segment grew by **.*%, thanks to the new romance sub-segment, which is increasingly attracting readers. The school segment also grew by *.*%. This positive trend was offset by a *.**% drop in sales in the general public segment and a *.*% decline in sales in the academic and professional segment, due to the decision of certain organizations to share their publications free of charge.

Digital publishing sales trend France, ****-****, in millions of euros Source: ****

2.1 The French and digital books

Overall eBook consumption in France showed an irregular pattern between **** and ****. Indeed, the Covid period and containment drove up eBook consumption in France in **** and ****, before it fell by ** points in **** and then by a further point in ****.

Overall consumption of e-books and audiobooks France, **** - ****, in Source: ****

Research for e-readers, all brands combined, generally increases around December. A significant but exceptional rise occurred at the start of the lock-in. This can be explained by the French people's desire to find an easily accessible means of entertainment during the pandemic. Evolution of interest in the "Liseuse" search engine France, ****-****, Google Index Source: ****

2.2 Average annual reading habits of the French

According to the Centre National du Livre, by ****, **% of French people will be reading books, whether in paper or digital format.

Average number of books read by the French in **** France, **** Source: ****

**% of French people read digital books. The majority of these eBook readers are considered average readers, reading between * and ** books a year. Small readers are in second place, with * to * eBooks read. Finally, only *% of French people are considered assiduous readers, reading ** or more books a year.

Average number of eBooks read, by type of reader France, ****, aged ** and over Source: ****

2.3 French preferences

To read an eBook, **% of French people use their smartphones because of their portability, while **% prefer tablets. E-readers come last, with a preference of **%. As for audiobooks, most French people listen to them on their smartphones, followed by the computer.

Media used to read digital books and audiobooks France, ****, in Source: ****

The preferences of France's youth are largely in line with the choices made by the French in terms of media used. Indeed, **% of young people aged between * and ** prefer to read on their smartphone. The proportion of young people opting for laptops or tablets is the same, at **%. E-readers once again come in behind the other devices, with a share of **%.

Media used by young people to read digital books France, ****, ages * to ** Source: ****

If the French are becoming increasingly interested in digital books, it's mainly due to their ease of transportation, the small amount of physical space they take up compared to paper books, and the speed of access to different books.

The advantages of digital books according to the French France, ****, in Source: ****

The majority of digital book readers read at home, while **% of French people read while on vacation. **% read on their commute, while **% read on their ...

2.4 Legal eBook consumption in France

A study by the Haute Autorité pour la diffusion des oeuvres et la protection des droits sur Internet has shown that the vast majority of French people (***) consume digital books in a completely legal way, in this case by buying them.

Percentage of French people reading digital books legally France, ****, in Source: ****

3.1 The value chain

The digital book market can be broken down into several key players:

Authors, who create the content and write the book. Publishers, who refine the book and prepare it for production. Producers, who format the book and convert it into PDF, EPUB or MOBI format. Self-publishing platforms* Manufacturers of smartphones, tablets and e-readers, which are the main tools used by the French to read eBooks. Distributors, who market books on online platforms such as Apple Books, Amazon Kindle, Google Play Books and others.

*self-publishing: Many authors decide to self-publish their books to gain more control over their publications, or to earn more income from their books. To do this, they turn to various publishing platforms. These help writers format their books, lay them out and even distribute them online and in bookshops. In addition to these services, these platforms communicate their sales figures directly to authors and pay them a royalty.

On the French market, there are * market-leading platforms:

Source: ****

In addition to the startups listed above that help authors with the publishing and distribution of their digital books, there are other French startups that accompany digital writers through the various stages of the writing process:

3.2 eBook distribution and sales media

The main distribution platforms for digital books are: Amazon Kindle, which offers eBooks in French and foreign languages through its Kindle e-reader. Fnac with the Kobo by Fnac application. Cultura with its Vivlio e-reader. In France, the most common medium for digital book sales is subscriptions and content licenses, with a majority share of **.*%. Unit sales follow at **.*%. Sales of physical media and applications, meanwhile, are almost non-existent.

Breakdown of eBook sales by medium France, ****, in Source: ****

3.3 Startups enter the market

A study by the Observatoire du Livre et de l'Ecrit, in collaboration with Labo de l'Edition, has shown that barriers to entry into the digital book market are considerably lower than those for the paper book market. This has encouraged a good number of French people to get into publishing. Indeed, **% of purely French-speaking digital publishers in this market were not even part of the publishing world before launching their startups.

To finance themselves, **% of these digital publishers resort to participatory financing, while **% apply for subsidies, notably from the Centre National du Livre.

While it's true that the barriers to entry are more flexible in this market, there are still a number of obstacles to consider. Indeed, the low media coverage of digital books, and readers' expectation that content should be free just because it's digitized, is holding back market development slightly. What's more, the big players, such as Amazon Kindle, dominate the market.

Source: ****

4.1 A variety of offers

The main players in this market all * offer similar products:

*only PDFs in the following languages are supported: French, English, Spanish, Italian, German, Portuguese, Catalan, Basque and Galician.

*aVE or DAE formats are not compatible with Kobo and can only be read on a computer.

Comparison of each player's e-reader:

Amazon x Kindle

Fnac x Kobo

Cultura x Vivlio

Source: ****

4.2 The price of digital books VS the price of paper books

While there is no exact margin of difference between the price of a paper book and the price of the same book in digital format, the price of eBooks remains lower than the print version, as can be seen on the websites of major players such as Amazon or Fnac. Indeed, eBooks are generally priced between €* and €**, sometimes even less. This is mainly because readers expect this price difference, and don't want to pay more or less the same amount for a digital book as they would for a paper book.

The price of an eBook could, exceptionally, exceed €**, and this would mainly be due to the author's reputation or the exclusivity of his or her content (***)[***]

Borrowing digital books

Although the purchase of new books is favored, the borrowing of digital books is also starting to gain ground. Towards the end of ****, the Bibliothèque nationale de France launched a digital book lending service for anyone with a Pass Recherche or a Pass Lecture/Culture. This service enables these readers to get their hands on a batch of **,*** books from a wide selection of genres (***). Pass holders can borrow up to five titles per month. These books are suitable for ...

4.3 Towards a more inclusive and diversified offering

Digital accessibility:

Many publishing houses in France are trying to distinguish themselves through their CSR initiatives, particularly with regard to the accessibility of eBooks for people with disabilities.

Hachette livre, one of France's biggest publishing groups, has implemented a CSR policy that includes the development of eBooks accessible to dyslexic or visually impaired people. This approach is supported by specific actions such as the adaptation of new literary titles into accessible formats as soon as they are published. [***]

Other publishing houses like Gallimard are also working on the accessibility of their digital books. Gallimard in particular has collaborated with specialists to create accessible EPUBs, in compliance with the charter on accessibility of digital books imposed by the Syndicat National de l'Edition. [***]

These actions show a growing trend within the publishing world, where inclusion of all readers and digital accessibility are becoming a priority.

Introducing the Webtoon

Originating in South Korea, webtoons are comic strips designed to be read vertically online, on tablets, smartphones or other devices. What sets them apart from normal books is the fact that they are not published all at once. Following the freemium model, the first chapters are published regularly and free of charge, to keep the ...

5.1 Regulations

Reproduction regulations:

DAVDSI law of August *, ****:

Article L***-*: "When the work has been disclosed, the author may not prohibit: ... Reproduction and representation by legal entities and by establishments open to the public, such as libraries, archives, documentation centers and multimedia cultural spaces, with a view to strictly personal consultation of the work by persons suffering from one or more impairments of motor, physical, sensory, mental, cognitive or psychic functions, whose level of disability is equal to or greater than a level set by decree by the Conseil d'Etat, and recognized by the commission départementale de l'éducation spécialisée, the commission technique d'orientation et de reclassement professionnek or the commission des droits et de l'autonomie des personnes handicapées..."[***]

Regulations on the price of digital books:

Law n°****-*** of May **, ****:

Article *: "Any person established in France who publishes a digital book for the purpose of its commercial distribution in France is required to set a retail price for any type of single or bundled offer. This price is made public. This price may differ according to the content of the offer and the terms of access or use[***]

Decree n°****-*** of January **, ****:

This decree "provides for ...

6.1 Positioning the players

Source: ****

*sales not exclusive to digital books.

• Amazon
• Audible
• Fnac Darty
• Cultura
• Hachette Livre Groupe
• Madrigall groupe (Gallimard)