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Summary and extracts
1 Market overview
1.1 Market overview and definition
Digital books, also known as electronic books or eBooks, are publications in electronic format. They can be read on digital devices such as tablets, e-readers, smartphones and computers.
EBooks are often available in different formats such as EPUB, PDF or MOBI, giving readers flexibility in terms of display.
The global eBook market is currently experiencing strong growth due to the rapid adoption of electronic devices such as smartphones, tablets and e-readers. This market should continue to evolve and grow at a CAGR of 4.78% between 2024 and 2029, driven by the rise in the number of eBook distributors and variety in terms of subscriptions.
In the French market, growing interest in e-books was observed during the COVID-19 pandemic. Indeed, the term "liseuse" saw an exponential rise in searches in March 2020.
However, growth in the domestic market is progressing a little more slowly than at global level, due to the academic and professional segment, which has seen a 5.8% drop in sales, from 194.8 million euros in 2022 to 185.9 million euros in 2023.
In France, there are 4 e-book segments on the French market:
- The school segment
- Literature segment
- The academic and professional segment
- The consumer segment (comics, documents and current affairs, youth, etc.)
The market is dominated by American player Amazon, which has captured the interest of readers thanks to a combination of attractive prices and an extensive library of digital books. Facing Amazon are Fnac and Cultura, who are trying to counter the Kindle with their own e-readers, the Kobo and Vivlio.
Alongside these major players, the French market is witnessing the emergence of startups trying to make their mark by targeting specific parts of the digital book value chain. They are seeking to capitalize on new market trends by offering, among other things, support services for authors who want to publish their books independently.
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 ...
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 ...
2 Demand analysis
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, ...
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 ...
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: ...
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 Market structure
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 ...
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 ...
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, ...
4 Offer analysis
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 ...
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, ...
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 ...
5 Regulations
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 ...
6 Positioning the players
6.1 Positioning the players
Source: ****
*sales not exclusive to digital books.
- Amazon
- Audible
- Fnac Darty
- Cultura
- Hachette Livre Groupe
- Madrigall groupe (Gallimard)
List of charts presented in this market study
- World market for digital books
- Digital publishing sales by segment
- Trend in total digital publishing sales
- Growth in the consumption of digital and audio books
- Evolution of interest in the "E-reader" search
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Latest news
FNAC Darty to launch takeover bid for Italy's Unieuro on Monday - 30/08/2024
- FNAC Darty, which already holds a 4.4% stake in Unieuro, announced in mid-July its intention to buy the Italian chain of 500 electrical goods stores.
- Unieuro controls 17% of the Italian market, with a presence concentrated in the north and center of the country, the wealthiest areas.
FNAC Darty in the running to take over its Italian counterpart - 17/07/2024
- - Unieuro is valued at €249 million as part of the takeover bid launched by FNAC Darty.
- - FNAC Darty already holds a 4.4% stake in Unieuro, and is aiming for 90%.
- - Unieuro has 500 stores and around 5,000 employees.
- - Unieuro's sales in 2023 were €2.6 billion, with 14% coming from online sales and net income of €44.5 million.
- - After the operation, FNAC Darty would target sales of over 10 billion euros and 30,000 employees, controlling the market in France, Italy, Belgium, Spain and Portugal.
- - FNAC Darty's sales outside France could approach 50% of total sales.
Isabelle Mauté becomes "Audible - 27/06/2024
- -Amazon subsidiary dedicated to audio content, home to 20,000 French-language works.
- - Audible offers a catalog of 850,000 titles worldwide, 20,000 of which are in French.
- - Audio represents 2% of the book market in France, compared with 5% in Germany and 12% in Sweden. -
- One French person in three has already listened to an audio book, and 42% of those surveyed felt that listening to a book would enable them to read more.
Retail Media: Fnac Darty points of sale also become media outlets - 31/05/2024
- - Retail media sales in 2023 in France: Over 1 billion euros.
- - Retailink (Fnac Darty's advertising network) sales in 2023: 90 million euros.
- - Total sales for Fnac Darty in 2023: 7.88 billion euros.
- - Number of unique visitors per month to the Fnac Darty website: 16.3 million.
- - Number of unique visitors who may be exposed to Fnac Darty advertising outside the site: 12 million.
- - Number of screens in Fnac stores: 1,500 in 450 stores.
- - Total number of stores in the Fnac network: 987.
- - Percentage of screens in Fnac stores equipped with trackers to measure advertising audience: 25%.
- - Amazon: 38.5 million unique visitors per month.
- - Cdiscount: 23.8 million unique visitors per month.
- - Fnac Darty: Over 16 million unique visitors per month.
- - E. Leclerc: 15.7 million unique visitors per month.
- - Carrefour: 14.5 million unique visitors per month.
Hachette: tension mounts at Fayard - 02/03/2024
- Hachette is the French market leader in publishing.
- It belongs to the Vivendi group, which is controlled by the Bolloré family.
- Fayard is one of Hachette's two most prestigious general literature houses, the other being Grasset.
- A publishing house, Mazarine, has been created within Hachette.
- In 2023, Fayard achieved historic sales of 34 million euros.
FNAC Darty increasingly driven by services - 23/02/2024
- - FNAC Darty sales in 2023: 7.9 billion euros, down 0.9
- - Services account for 15% of group sales
- - Darty Max subscription reaches 1.1 million subscribers, an increase of 300,000 subscribers over one year
- - Target of 2 million subscribers for Darty Max by 2025
- - Group repaired 2.5 million products in 2023
- - Joint venture with Ceva, "Weavenn", aims to generate 200 million euros in sales and a double-digit operating margin within 5 years
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the e-book market | France
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