The 13th year of the Books & Consumers survey provides invaluable research for publishers. After more than a decade of data collection, key trends are clearer, we can observe significant shifts in consumer behavior, understand the key drivers for growth in digital format sales (ebooks and audiobooks) as well as improving our book discoverability strategies.
The survey’s milestone - recording 1 million book purchases in 2024 -provides valuable insights into consumer preferences, consumer habits, price sensitivity, and the rise of subscription models or self-publishing.
Nielsen IQ profiled over 1000 authors offering a detailed look at author success trends.
They also interviewed an average of 8,500 UK consumers aged 13–84 each month.
This sample is nationally representative in terms of gender, age, social class, and region. From this group, they focused on approximately 3,000 individuals who reported buying at least one book—print, ebook, or audiobook—in the previous month.
These book buyers provide detailed insights not only about their own demographics, media habits, and leisure interests, but also about the specific books they purchased. This includes books from all sources, whether traditionally or self-published, and even those obtained through paid-for subscriptions.
In addition, data was gathered for 75,000 individual book purchases. For each, details such as genre, format, price paid, purchase source, method of discovery, influences on the decision, and the occasion for purchase were all recorded.
“In 2024, the most influential factor driving book purchases was the subject or genre, accounting for over a quarter of all buying decisions. Close behind, nearly a quarter of readers chose a book based on the author.
One in six purchases were influenced by the book's description—whether featured on the cover, website, or app—while a similar number were driven by interest in a particular series.
The front cover played a role in around one in eight purchases, followed closely by recommendations or reviews, special offers or low prices, and even the appeal of the main character(s).
Rounding out the top ten influences were the ability to look inside or read an extract, and the book’s suitability as a gift or a direct request for one.”
In summary, readers in 2024 were most influenced by subject/genre or recommendations and reviews. Supadu will be issuing a BISAC/KEYWORD guide next month.
However, influences such as author reputation, book description, series appeal, pricing, sampling, and gifting all saw a decline compared to previous years.
Unexpectedly, long-term trends show diminishing influence from authors, pricing, inside content, and gift suitability—while factors like cover design, recommendations, and main characters have gained traction since 2019.
These trends varied by whether the purchaser had a chance discovery or a planned purchase. These data patterns and observations will feed into decision making for publishers, authors, and marketers alike.
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Nielsen BookData is a leading provider of market research into the UK and international book markets; more information on our data and services can be found in the digital brochure below. In addition to ongoing subscriptions, in-depth reports are available that deliver expert insights into consumer book trends across formats and genres.
