Part 3: When Bookstores Actually Make Sense
Bookstores aren’t irrelevant. They’re just no longer the foundation.
Despite everything that’s changed in the publishing landscape, bookstores still hold real value for authors. The mistake is assuming that value is universal or required. What bookstores offer today is no longer a mandatory pathway to success, but a specific kind of benefit that depends on an author’s goals, genre, and stage of career. For some, they provide prestige, community presence, or a powerful branding signal; for others, they may offer very little return. Understanding that distinction allows authors to approach bookstores strategically rather than treating them as an automatic measure of legitimacy.
There isn’t a single authoritative, up-to-date public breakdown that says exactly what percentage of book sales come from physical bookstores versus online sales in the U.S., but several reliable industry insights give us a useful picture of the trend:
📊 Physical vs Online Share (Recent Estimates)
-
Some market reports estimate that around 50–74 % of total book sales still happen through physical retail channels globally or in major markets like the U.S., with the remainder coming via online channels—meaning roughly 26–50 % online (which includes Amazon and other ecommerce) in 2025 projections.
-
A YouGov survey across 17 markets found that about 36 % of consumers prefer buying books in brick-and-mortar stores, while 46 % prefer online retailers—indicating a close divide in consumer purchasing preference.
-
Amazon alone accounts for roughly 50 % of all print book sales and a large majority of online book distribution in the U.S.—meaning many “online” sales actually come through one platform.
📌 Key Takeaways
-
Physical bookstores still make up a large share of overall book sales revenue, especially for print formats.
-
Online sales are significant and growing rapidly, especially for ebooks, audiobooks, direct ecommerce purchases, and digital discovery.
-
The split varies by format and market: print is still strong in stores, while online dominates digital formats and a growing portion of print purchases.
Market Share
Here’s a more precise look at how book sales break down by format today, with the best available data on where print, ebooks, and audio stand in the U.S. market. While detailed “bookstore vs online” channel splits by format aren’t always publicly published, format-level share gives a strong picture of how readers are buying.
📊 Format Share in the U.S. Book Market (2024–2025)
• Print Books (hardcover + paperback)
Print continues to be the dominant format in the U.S. book trade, accounting for approximately 70–76 % of total book sales revenue in recent industry reporting.
• Ebooks
Ebooks make up a smaller share—around 10 %–20 % of total revenue depending on the dataset and year. Many industry reports show ebooks hovering closer to the 10 % range in 2024 estimates.
• Digital Audiobooks
Audiobooks have been the fastest-growing segment and in 2024 were reported at around 11.3 % of the U.S. trade book market in digital audio revenue—surpassing ebooks in share in that period.
📌 What This Means
-
Print formats still dominate overall sales dollars, even as online retail channels conduct a large portion of those transactions.
-
Audiobooks have carved out a significant share of the market, often growing faster than ebooks and representing an increasingly important revenue stream.
-
Ebooks remain a meaningful slice, but as a share of total revenue they are smaller than print and audio in current estimates.
💡 On Channels (Bookstores vs Online)
While we don’t have exact percentages for bookstore vs online channels by format from public sources:
-
A large portion of print sales, including purchases of physical books, occurs through both physical bookstores and online retailers (especially Amazon).
-
Online retail dominates ebook distribution, since digital formats are inherently online products.
-
Audiobook sales are also primarily digital, flowing through platforms like Audible and other online sellers.
In summary: Print remains the biggest format overall, with digital audio and ebooks together making up around ~20–25 % of the U.S. trade market recently, but the growth and importance of digital formats continue to rise alongside online channels.
What Bookstores Are Great For
Bookstores amplify success; they no longer create it. In the current publishing landscape, momentum almost always begins elsewhere; through online discovery, reader recommendations, reviews, and sustained sales. Bookstores respond to that existing signal rather than generating it from nothing. When a book already has an audience, a presence in stores can increase visibility, lend cultural legitimacy, and introduce the work to new readers who prefer physical browsing. Without that underlying momentum, however, bookstore placement tends to be quiet and short-lived. The shelf doesn’t make the book successful; it reflects the success that has already been built.
Bookstores shine when used for:
- Brand legitimacy
- Local visibility
- Signings and events
- Press and media optics
- Community engagement
They are powerful after momentum exists.
👉 Bookstores want something they can hand-sell in 10 seconds.
When It Makes Sense to Pursue Them
Timing matters more than access because bookstores are not designed to create demand, they are designed to respond to it. Gaining access to a bookstore before a book has proven readership often results in minimal stocking, little promotion, and no follow-up orders, which can quietly stall momentum rather than build it. When a book already has sales, reviews, and reader interest behind it, that same access becomes far more powerful: staff are more willing to hand-sell, stores are more confident in reorders, and events are more likely to succeed. In other words, the difference between a book that merely appears on a shelf and one that actually moves off it is not permission, but proof, and proof is a matter of timing.
Bookstores make the most sense when:
- You already have readers
- Your book has proven demand
- Your series is established
- You can support events or local promotion
At that point, bookstores become allies—not gatekeepers.
👉 If your goal is brand elevation, bookstores can be worth it.
When Your series is established
Bookstores tend to struggle with unfinished or unproven series because their business model favors certainty over potential. A first book in a series without demonstrated demand asks stores to take a risk not just on one title, but on future installments they may never be able to support consistently. If a series stalls or changes direction, early volumes can become difficult to sell, leaving shelves with orphaned books readers hesitate to start. Without clear sales data or a completed arc, staff are also less likely to hand-sell the book, knowing customers often ask whether a series is finished or ongoing. For bookstores, stability sells and unfinished or untested series rarely provide it.
Best timing:
- After Book 1 proves itself
- When Books 2–3 exist or are imminent
- When you can sell a “complete arc” or bundle
👉 Bookstores love stability. Series momentum reassures them.
When It Doesn’t Make Sense
Chasing validation too early can actually slow real growth by pulling focus away from the places where momentum compounds. When authors prioritize external markers of legitimacy, such as bookstore placement before building a readership, they often invest time and energy into low-return efforts that don’t scale. Early-stage careers benefit most from activities that generate data, feedback, and direct reader connection: improving discoverability, gathering reviews, refining positioning, and strengthening audience trust. Validation feels reassuring, but growth is built through repetition and reach. When validation becomes the goal instead of the byproduct, it can delay the very success it’s meant to confirm.
Early in a career, bookstores often:
- Drain time and energy
- Produce low-margin sales
- Distract from scalable growth
Online discovery compounds. Bookstore effort does not, unless layered on top of success.
You’re pre-launch or debuting
When an author is pre-launch or debuting, bookstores typically respond with caution rather than enthusiasm. Without sales history, reviews, or proven reader demand, most stores will stock very conservatively, if at all and often ordering a single copy or treating the book as a special request rather than a title to actively promote. Reorders are unlikely unless the book unexpectedly performs well, and staff rarely have enough information or incentive to hand-sell it to customers. This isn’t a reflection of quality or potential; it’s simply how bookstores manage risk. For debut authors, the lack of visible traction often means that bookstore access, even when granted, results in minimal impact.
Your time is better spent on:
- Online discovery
- ARC teams
- Metadata
- Reviews
- Reader funnels
👉 Early energy is best spent where data compounds.
Final Takeaway (Part 3)
Bookstores are best understood as a strategy, not a prerequisite. They are one possible tool in a much larger publishing ecosystem, useful when they align with an author’s goals, timing, and existing momentum. Treating bookstores as a requirement can create unnecessary pressure and misplaced priorities, especially in a market where most discovery now happens elsewhere. When approached deliberately—after readership, demand, and visibility have been established—bookstores can enhance a career through visibility and prestige. But success no longer depends on them; it depends on building readers first and choosing strategies that support that growth.
Author’s Note (Series Conclusion)
When I started publishing, I believed the same myth many authors still wrestle with, that success wasn’t real unless a book sat on a physical shelf. But building my work online, connecting directly with readers, and watching stories find their audience without waiting for permission changed my understanding of what success actually looks like.
For me, bookstores are something I may pursue later, as amplification, not validation. And recognizing that distinction has been one of the most freeing shifts in my publishing journey.
