A study conducted by UK research firm Nielsen Book UK revealed that self-published ebook sales in the UK climbed from 16% in 2014 to 22% in 2015.
The company’s research director Steve Bohme, however, said that e-book sales volume in 2015 slightly jumped 5%, accounting for 27% of the market and lower than the growth rate in 2013 and 2014.
“All of the e-book growth in 2015 can be attributed to a rise in purchasing of Amazon/self-published titles, with purchases of e-books from mainstream publishers down slightly in 2014,” he noted.
Some analysts say that it remains to be seen whether the sales growth of self-published ebooks is generated by the increasing popularity of self-publishing, or such books are now abundant given that more authors are taking the alternative publishing route. If anything, traditionally published books still outsell self-published ones on average. The Neilsen data may have failed to clarify this aspect of the research. Moreover, a survey of a total of 1,107 self-published writers revealed that over half of those respondents only earn below USD 500 from annual book sales.
The Nielsen Books & Consumers UK survey provided the above data. The study collects consumer behaviors and decisions of print and ebook buyers ages 13 to 84 in the UK.