FYI:
Vancouver — The numbers are in for the second annual National Book Count, sponsored by the National Reading Campaign (NRC), and for the first time e-book sales have been counted.
E-book sales comprised 10% of all books sold in English Canada. Public libraries reported that 3% of their circulation comprised digital formats. This finding puts English Canada near the very top of international estimates on e-reading.
Book sales and public library circulations were counted for the week of January 23-29, 2012, as a snapshot of a typical reading week in Canada. A total of 3,405,687 books were counted as being sold or circulated for the week of January 23-29, 2012. That works out to more than five books sold or circulated every second in Canada.
The National Book Count is only a snapshot and the NRC cautions against over-interpretation, but as the only combined tabulation across the spectrum of book retail and public libraries in Canada, the National Book Count can reveal some dynamics of reading in Canada today. The major findings this year include:
• 1,153,081 print books were sold by retailers including Indigo Books & Music, Amazon.ca and other national chains, as well as over 260 independent bookstores across the country. English language print book sales for the week increased 4% over 2011.
• 111,053 English language e-book sales were counted. As this is the first year counting e-book sales, no direct comparison can be made, but publishers report a “significant” increase from 2011.
• 2,141,553 print books were borrowed from 28 participating public library systems.** 63,196 e-books were downloaded. Canadian libraries saw an 8% increase in print circulation and a 50% increase in digital circulation for an overall increase of 9% total circulation for libraries that participated in 2011 and 2012.
• French language print book sales increased 35% over 2011. This number primarily reflects increased count coverage, not necessarily a surge in book purchases. No French language e-book book sales were captured this year.