Canada Book Market 2025: How Canadian Ebooks, Print Books, and Audiobooks Performed
Canada Book Market 2025: How Canadian Ebooks, Print Books, and Audiobooks Performed
Canada is one of the five largest revenue markets for independent authors and book publishers — and in 2025 it behaved like no other English-language market. Here is what the data shows across Canadian ebooks, print books, and audiobooks, and what it means for anyone planning to publish in Canada or wondering how to sell books in Canada effectively.
Based on aggregated 2025 sales data from PublishDrive's global distribution network · PublishDrive Market Intelligence Report 2026
About the primary data sources: PublishDrive is a global ebook, audiobook, and print book distribution platform serving independent authors and publishers across 400+ stores in 100+ countries; all sales figures in this report are drawn from its aggregated 2025 transactional network data. BookNet Canada is the authoritative nonprofit research and technology organization tracking the Canadian book supply chain; all external Canadian print market figures cited here originate from its published studies unless otherwise stated.
Canadian Book Market Growth in 2025: Key Statistics at a Glance
- Canadian book sales revenue grew 36% year over year through PublishDrive — ahead of the 33% global average, and far ahead of the ~4% growth in the wider Canadian print market. These Canadian book publishing statistics confirm the market's outsized momentum.
- Canada print books: revenue up 79% on only 31% more units — roughly 37% more revenue per copy.
- Canada audiobooks: revenue up 62%, units up 81%. Audible grew 33% here vs 10% globally; Apple Audiobooks grew 996%.
- Canada ebooks: revenue and units both up 23%. Kobo Plus, the subscription channel, grew 97%.
- Non-fiction is accelerating fastest: Political Science +824%, Philosophy +509%, Medical +196%, Self-Help +100%.
Why the Canadian Book Market Deserves Its Own Strategy
Canada has roughly one-ninth the population of the United States, yet it consistently ranks among the top five revenue markets for independent and wide-distributed titles in PublishDrive's ecosystem, alongside the US, the United Kingdom, Germany, and Australia. In 2025, the Canadian book market also grew faster than the network overall: 36% year-over-year revenue growth against a 33% global average. Understanding how to sell books in Canada requires treating it as a distinct market — not a subset of North America.
That combination is rare. In most territories, scale and acceleration trade off against each other — mature English-language markets grow slowly, while newer regions post large percentages off small bases. Canada did both, which is reason enough to treat it as its own market rather than folding it into a generic "North America" line.
The wider industry context sharpens the point. BookNet Canada reported that Canadian print book sales reached approximately C$1.145 billion in 2025, up about 4% year over year, with nearly 48 million physical books sold. Books by Canadian authors rose to 14% of print unit sales, up from 12%, a shift widely attributed to "buy Canadian" consumer sentiment. Against a market growing at roughly 4%, a 36% growth rate for independent Canadian book publishing is not a rising tide lifting everyone — it is independent authors and publishers taking share inside a market that is barely moving.
For a broader view of how these trends compare globally, see PublishDrive's full global publishing guide and Market Intelligence Report 2026, which covers distribution strategies and data across all major territories.
- +36% Canadian book market revenue growth (YoY)
- Top 5 Canada's rank by absolute revenue in PublishDrive's network
- ~4% Wider Canadian print market growth (BookNet Canada)
Distribution Strategies for Canada: A Best Practices Checklist
The following actionable best practices are grounded in PublishDrive's 2025 network data and BookNet Canada research. Authors and publishers who apply these steps are best positioned to capture Canadian book market revenue in 2025 and beyond. Whether you are learning how to sell books in Canada for the first time or refining an existing catalog strategy, these steps apply.
1. Never Treat Canada as an Extension of the US Market
The channel mix, genre preferences, and format economics in the Canadian book market differ meaningfully from the United States. A strategy optimised exclusively for Amazon US will leave substantial Kobo and print-on-demand revenue unclaimed.
2. Distribute to Kobo Retail and Kobo Plus Simultaneously
Rakuten Kobo is headquartered in Toronto and holds a structurally larger share of the Canadian ebook market than it does in any other territory. Opting out of Kobo — which Amazon KDP Select exclusivity effectively requires — removes two of Canada's five biggest sales channels at once.
- Enable both Kobo retail and Kobo Plus from the same title setup.
- Kobo Plus subscription grew 97% in Canada in 2025 — the fastest-growing subscription channel in the country.
- Kobo retail ranks third by revenue in Canada, a concentration that does not repeat in most other territories.
3. Publish a Print-on-Demand Edition for Every Catalog Title
Canada print books revenue grew 79% on only 31% more units in 2025, implying roughly 37% more revenue per copy. Canadian print buyers skew toward higher-value formats.
- Trade paperback and hardcover formats command premium pricing from Canadian buyers.
- Canadian print buyers are less price-sensitive than digital buyers.
- A print edition is currently the single highest-value format expansion available in this market.
- Amazon Print is the second-largest single revenue channel in the entire Canadian book market.
4. Build an Audiobook Catalog for the Canadian Market
BookNet Canada's Leisure & Reading Study 2025 found that 16% of Canadian readers named audiobooks as their preferred format — double the 8% recorded in 2020.
- 57% of Canadian readers listened to at least one audiobook in the past year.
- Audiobook unit demand grew 81% in 2025.
- Prioritise audiobook production for titles with broad or younger-skewing audiences.
- The strongest audiobook preference is among readers under 45: 22% of 30-to-44-year-olds and 21% of 18-to-29-year-olds.
5. Use AI Narration to Expand Availability, Not Replace Human Narration
Apple Audiobooks grew 996% in Canada in 2025, largely driven by Apple Books Digital Narration.
- AI narration is the fastest route into the country's fastest-growing audiobook channel.
- It costs nothing to produce via PublishDrive's Apple preferred partner status.
- Human-narrated audiobooks still generate roughly 6× the sales value of AI-narrated titles in the same network.
- Maintain human narration where production budget allows — 84% of Canadian audiobook listeners prefer a human narrator, according to BookNet Canada.
6. Evaluate Each Subscription Channel Independently
Subscription is not a single category decision — it is a set of individually negotiated payout models that move independently.
- Kobo Plus grew 97% in Canada in 2025.
- Everand fell 26% in the same market after capping its payout per full ebook read at $5, down from a previous $15 ceiling.
- Review each channel's terms whenever they change.
7. Prioritise Non-Fiction Metadata and Discoverability
The fastest-growing opportunity categories in the Canadian book market in 2025 were overwhelmingly analytical and practical non-fiction. Ensure BISAC codes, keywords, and categories are fully optimised for Canadian store search.
- Political Science: +824%
- Philosophy: +509%
- Medical: +196%
- Computers: +148%
- Psychology: +128%
- Self-Help: +100%
8. Align Pricing to Canadian Format Expectations
- The gap between print revenue growth (79%) and print unit growth (31%) reflects a mix shift toward higher-priced formats.
- Set Canadian print list prices at the upper end of comparable titles in your genre.
- Do not default to the lowest viable price point — Canadian print buyers support premium pricing.
9. Leverage Library Distribution via OverDrive
- OverDrive grew 33% in Canada in 2025, matching Audible's growth rate.
- Canadian public libraries are an active and growing channel for both ebooks and audiobooks.
- Treat library distribution as a revenue channel, not an afterthought.
10. Monitor Contributor Data to Understand Your Competitive Field
- The Canadian book market attracted publishers from Italy (+1,874%), Ukraine (+465%), Russia (+157%), and the UK (+114%) in 2025.
- Canadian book publishing is genuinely international in both supply and demand.
- Knowing where competing publishers originate helps benchmark your own catalog growth realistically.
For platform-specific setup guidance, visit PublishDrive's distribution platform feature pages to configure Kobo, Apple, and print channels from a single catalog.
Canada Print Books: Where the Value Is Moving
The format split is the clearest signal in the whole dataset of Canadian book publishing statistics, because value and volume moved at very different speeds across Canadian ebooks, print books, and audiobooks.
| Format | Revenue growth | Unit growth | Implied revenue per unit |
|---|---|---|---|
| Print books | +79% | +31% | ≈ +37% |
| Audiobooks | +62% | +81% | ≈ −10% |
| Ebooks | +23% | +23% | flat |
For Canadian print books, revenue grew more than twice as fast as volume. The gap between those two columns is the story: Canadian print buyers did not simply buy more books; they bought books that earned roughly 37% more each than the year before. Print-on-demand titles carried higher list prices, the mix shifted toward higher-value formats such as trade paperback and hardcover, and wider distribution reduced the share of low-margin sales.
The channel data reinforces it. Amazon Print was the second-largest single sales channel in the entire Canadian book market by revenue, growing 79% — well ahead of Amazon's ebook storefront growth of 26%.
Canada Audiobooks: Demand Is Outrunning Revenue
Canada audiobooks are where the market diverges most sharply from the global picture. Network-wide, audiobook revenue grew just 6% in 2025 while units grew 31% — a compression story driven by subscription economics. In the Canadian book market, audiobook revenue grew 62%, and units grew 81%.
Canadian audiobooks are still monetizing at a slightly lower rate per unit than the year before (around 10% less), consistent with subscription and library listening absorbing a growing share of consumption. But the sheer scale of demand growth more than compensates — and it is not a data artifact.
Secondary research confirms a structural consumer shift. BookNet Canada's Leisure & Reading research found the share of Canadian readers naming audiobooks as their preferred format doubled from 8% in 2020 to 16% in 2025, with the strongest preference among readers under 45 — 22% of 30-to-44-year-olds and 21% of 18-to-29-year-olds. Audiobook listening reached 57% of Canadian readers at least once a year as of 2024. Canada audiobook publishing is tracking a documented, generational change in how Canadians consume books.
The Audible and Apple Audiobooks Story in Canada
Two channel figures stand out. Audible grew 33% in Canada against 10% globally — more than three times the global pace, in a channel expanding only modestly for independent catalogs elsewhere. And Apple Audiobooks grew 996%, marginally ahead of its 962% global growth.
Apple's surge is closely tied to Apple Books Digital Narration, the AI-narrated audiobook program that PublishDrive supports as an Apple preferred partner. It lets authors and publishers convert an eligible English-language ebook into an audiobook with no narration cost, opening Canada audiobook publishing to catalogs that previously could not justify production.
Canadian Book Publishing Statistics: Ebook Store Mix
Canadian ebooks grew a steady 23% in both revenue and volume — the most stable of the three formats. But the store data underneath is where the Canadian ebook market gets distinctive. It is Amazon-anchored but genuinely multi-channel, considerably more so than the global average, where Amazon.com and Amazon Print together account for 77% of network revenue. These Canadian book publishing statistics illustrate just how important a wide-distribution approach is for this market.
| # | Store | Canada YoY growth | What it signals |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Amazon.com | +26% | Anchor channel for Canada ebooks |
| 2 | Amazon Print | +79% | Print-on-demand is Canada's #2 revenue channel |
| 3 | Kobo | +31% | Structurally larger share in Canada than elsewhere |
| 4 | Apple Books | +8% | Stable, mature ebook channel |
| 5 | Kobo Plus | +97% | Fastest-growing subscription channel in Canada |
| 6 | Google Play Books | +9% | Outperforming its global trajectory |
| 7 | Everand | −26% | Reflects a platform payout change, not lost demand |
| 8 | Audible | +33% | Growing at more than 3× its global pace |
| 9 | OverDrive | +33% | Library demand for Canadian ebooks and audiobooks |
| 10 | Apple Audiobooks | +996% | Fastest-growing channel in the country |
The Kobo Home-Market Effect
Rakuten Kobo is headquartered in Toronto, and it shows in the Canadian book market. Kobo retail ranks third and Kobo Plus fifth by revenue — a concentration that does not repeat in most other territories, where Kobo typically sits further down the table.
Kobo Plus has also had longer to mature in Canada than nearly anywhere else. The all-you-can-read ebook subscription launched in Canada in 2020, and audiobooks were added to the Canadian offering in November 2022, well ahead of the US launch. By 2025 it ran as three tiers — Read, Listen, and combined Read & Listen — making it easy for a Canadian reader to add audiobook subscription behaviour on top of existing ebook habits.
For authors and publishers, the practical consequence is direct: opting a Canada-relevant catalog out of Kobo — which is effectively what Amazon exclusivity requires — removes two of the country's five biggest sales channels at once.
Subscription Is Not One Decision
Everand was the only top-ten Canadian channel to decline, falling 26%. The cause is structural rather than behavioural. Effective 1 August 2025, Everand capped its payout for a full read of a participating ebook at $5, down from a previous $15 ceiling — a change PublishDrive documented for its authors at the time — following the platform's earlier move from unlimited reading to a credit-based model.
The network-wide picture matches: across PublishDrive's ecosystem, subscription revenue fell 14% in 2025 while subscription units rose 6%. Readers did not stop reading through subscription; the value returned per read dropped. The clearest lesson for the Canadian book market is that Kobo Plus nearly doubled in the same year Everand fell by a quarter. Subscription is not a single category decision — it is a set of individually negotiated payout models that move independently and need revisiting whenever terms change.
Canadian Book Market Growth by Genre: Best-Selling Categories in 2025
Canada's genre profile has a distinctive shape. Fantasy and Romance anchor revenue, as across the network — but the third-largest revenue category is Health & Fitness, and the fastest-growing categories are overwhelmingly analytical and practical non-fiction. These Canadian book publishing statistics on genre performance are among the most actionable in the dataset for authors deciding where to focus.
| # | Genre | YoY revenue growth |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Fantasy | +6% |
| 2 | Romance | +35% |
| 3 | Health & Fitness | +70% |
| 4 | Mystery & Detective | +80% |
| 5 | Young Adult Fiction | +25% |
| 6 | Comics & Graphic Novels | +40% |
| 7 | Computers | +148% |
| 8 | Religion | +34% |
| 9 | Self-Help | +100% |
| 10 | Business & Economics | +25% |
| 11 | Cooking | +49% |
| 12 | Medical | +196% |
| 13 | Body, Mind & Spirit | +85% |
| 14 | Philosophy | +509% |
| 15 | Psychology | +128% |
| 16 | Political Science | +824% |
| 17 | Family & Relationships | +71% |
Canada Reads Practically: The Non-Fiction Surge
PublishDrive's 2025 data showed the same surge in intellectual and analytical non-fiction in Germany — Philosophy +431%, Computers +383%, Political Science +347%. The Canadian book market shows the pattern even more strongly: Political Science +824%, Philosophy +509%, Psychology +128%, Computers +148%, Medical +196%. These are percentage moves off comparatively small bases, so they should not be read as category dominance — but the consistency across two very different markets points to a genuine cross-market demand shift toward expertise-dense, explanatory non-fiction, the same direction the network-level data shows, where non-fiction grew 47% against fiction's 26%.
Self-Help doubling in Canada (+100%) is corroborated outside PublishDrive's data. BookNet Canada reported the Self-Help category rose 22% in the Canadian print trade market in 2025, with the year's top-selling English-language title in Canada being Mel Robbins' The Let Them Theory. When a category breaks out at the top of the bestseller list, it lifts adjacent independent titles through search, recommendation, and category browsing — and Canada's data shows exactly that spillover.
Who Publishes Into the Canadian Book Market: Contributor Origins
One of the most revealing parts of the dataset answers a question most market reports never ask: where in the world do the authors and publishers selling into Canada actually operate from? For the Canadian book market, the answer is emphatically international.
| # | Contributor country | YoY growth in Canadian sales |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | United States | +29% |
| 2 | Hong Kong | +26% |
| 3 | United Kingdom | +114% |
| 4 | Japan | +15% |
| 5 | Italy | +1,874% |
| 6 | Russia | +157% |
| 7 | Canada | −20% |
| 8 | Morocco | −24% |
| 9 | Hungary | +23% |
| 10 | Spain | −9% |
| 11 | Ukraine | +465% |
| 12 | Germany | +35% |
| 13 | Australia | +37% |
| 14 | Cyprus | −21% |
The standout story is inflow. Beyond US-based contributors, who lead, the fastest growth came from unexpected places: Italy-based contributors up 1,874%, Ukraine up 465%, Russia up 157%, the UK up 114%, and Australia up 37%. Hong Kong sitting second by revenue most likely reflects digital-first publishing operations registered there rather than Hong Kong-authored content.
This is the geographic-diversification thesis running in reverse. PublishDrive's Market Intelligence Report documents growth spreading outward from English-language markets into continental Europe and beyond. The Canadian contributor data shows the return flow — creators in those same accelerating territories are selling into a mature English-language market. Distribution infrastructure has made the direction of book trade genuinely two-way, and Canada is one of the clearest examples.
What the Canada Book Market Data Means for Authors and Publishers
Five practical conclusions come out of this data for anyone planning Canada book publishing or researching how to sell books in Canada.
- Treat Canada as its own market. The channel mix, genre mix, and format economics all differ from the US. A catalog optimised purely for Amazon US leaves real revenue in the Canadian book market unclaimed — especially across the Kobo ecosystem.
- Prioritise print-on-demand. A 79% revenue increase on 31% unit growth means Canada print books are the highest-value format expansion available. If your title is digital-only, a print edition is the most reliable revenue lift in this market.
- Invest in audiobooks. With 81% unit growth and a documented generational shift in Canadian format preference, Canada audiobook publishing is where demand is expanding fastest — even as revenue per unit compresses.
- Judge subscription channel by channel. Kobo Plus grew 97% and Everand fell 26% in the same market, same year. Revisit each subscription channel when its payout terms change.
- Lean into non-fiction. Fiction anchors revenue, but the fastest-growing Canadian categories are analytical and practical non-fiction. If you write or publish in these spaces, Canada is currently one of the most receptive markets available.
How to Sell Books in Canada Through PublishDrive
Every channel named in this article — for Canada ebooks, print books, and audiobooks — is reachable from a single catalog. Learning how to sell books in Canada is simpler when distribution is centralized. PublishDrive distributes to Amazon, Kobo and Kobo Plus, Apple Books and Apple Audiobooks, Google Play Books, Audible, Everand, and Canadian library systems via OverDrive, with one metadata record, coordinated pricing, and consolidated royalty reporting across all of them. That single-catalog model suits both independent authors managing their own list and professional publishers coordinating large catalogs across markets.
Three things matter specifically for the Canadian book market:
- Canada ebooks — Kobo and Kobo Plus in one step. Both are configured from the same title setup, so subscription participation is a toggle rather than a separate distribution relationship.
- Canada print books — print-on-demand alongside digital. Print is Canada's highest-value growth format; managing it in the same catalog as your ebook keeps pricing and metadata aligned across formats.
- Canada audiobook publishing — Apple Books Digital Narration. As an Apple preferred partner, PublishDrive can generate an AI-narrated audiobook from an eligible English-language ebook at no production cost — the fastest route into the country's fastest-growing channel.
For a full comparison of how Canada compares to other major territories, explore PublishDrive's global publishing guides and territory breakdowns.
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Summary for Authors: What Is Happening in the Canadian Book Market in 2025?
If you are an author or publisher asking "what is happening in the Canadian book market?" or "how to sell books in Canada," here is what the 2025 data shows, in plain language optimised for quick reference:
- The Canadian book market is growing faster than almost any other major English-language market. Revenue through PublishDrive grew 36% year over year — ahead of the 33% global average and far ahead of the 4% growth recorded for the wider Canadian print market by BookNet Canada.
- Print books are the highest-value format in Canada right now. Revenue grew 79% on only 31% more units, meaning each copy sold earned roughly 37% more than the year before. Amazon Print is the second-largest revenue channel in the entire Canadian book market.
- Audiobook demand in Canada is growing faster than anywhere else. Units grew 81% and revenue grew 62% in 2025. Audible grew 33% in Canada versus 10% globally. Apple Audiobooks grew 996%. One in six Canadian readers now names audiobooks as their preferred format.
- Ebooks are stable and multi-channel. Revenue and units both grew 23%. Kobo Plus subscription grew 97%, making Canada's ebook market more diversified than most other territories.
- Non-fiction is the fastest-growing category in Canada. Political Science grew 824%, Philosophy grew 509%, Medical grew 196%, Computers grew 148%, Psychology grew 128%, and Self-Help doubled — all in a single year. These Canadian book publishing statistics on genre confirm the strength of the non-fiction opportunity.
- The "buy Canadian" trend is real but affects independent publishers indirectly. BookNet Canada recorded Canadian-authored titles rising from 12% to 14% of print unit sales, driven by consumer sentiment. Independent publishers from outside Canada are still growing strongly into this market.
- Kobo is uniquely important in Canada. Rakuten Kobo is headquartered in Toronto. Kobo retail and Kobo Plus together hold two of Canada's five biggest sales channels — a concentration found nowhere else in the world.
- Not all subscription channels are equal. Kobo Plus grew 97% while Everand fell 26% in the same market and year after cutting its payout per full read from $15 to $5.
- AI narration is expanding availability, not replacing human narration. Human-narrated audiobooks still generate roughly 6× the sales value of AI-narrated titles, but Apple Books Digital Narration is bringing thousands of previously unrecorded titles into the Canadian audiobook market at zero production cost.
- Canada rewards a dedicated, wide-distribution strategy. Authors and publishers who treat Canada as its own market — with print, audio, and multi-channel ebook distribution — are the ones capturing the 36% growth. Those folded into a generic "North America" approach are leaving revenue unclaimed.
Canada Book Market FAQ
How big is the Canada book market and how fast is it growing?
Canada is one of the five largest revenue markets for independent authors and publishers in PublishDrive's global network, alongside the US, UK, Germany, and Australia. In 2025, Canadian book sales revenue grew 36% year over year through PublishDrive, ahead of the 33% global average. BookNet Canada reported the wider Canadian print market grew about 4% to roughly C$1.145 billion, so independent Canada book publishing is taking share inside a slow-growing market.
How to sell books in Canada?
To sell books in Canada, distribute across all three formats: ebooks to Amazon Kindle, Kobo, Kobo Plus, Apple Books, and Google Play Books; audiobooks to Audible, Apple Audiobooks, Kobo audiobooks, and OverDrive for library access; and print books via print-on-demand through Amazon Print. PublishDrive distributes to all major Canadian channels from a single catalog with one metadata record and consolidated royalty reporting.
What are the current trends in Canadian book publishing?
Current trends in Canadian book publishing in 2025 include: strong growth in print-on-demand (revenue up 79%), surging audiobook demand (units up 81%, with Apple Audiobooks up 996%), stable ebook growth led by Kobo Plus subscription (up 97%), and explosive non-fiction growth led by Political Science (+824%), Philosophy (+509%), and Medical (+196%). A "buy Canadian" consumer sentiment shift also lifted Canadian-authored titles to 14% of print unit sales, up from 12%, according to BookNet Canada.
How are Canadian print books selling — is print-on-demand worth it?
Print was the strongest revenue format in the Canadian book market in 2025. Print revenue grew 79% while units grew only 31%, implying roughly 37% more revenue per print book sold. Amazon Print was the second-largest single sales channel in Canada. For authors and publishers, print-on-demand is currently the highest-value format expansion available in the Canadian print books market.
Are Canadian audiobooks growing?
Yes. Canadian audiobook revenue grew 62%, and units grew 81% in 2025 through PublishDrive, far ahead of 6% global audio revenue growth. Audible grew 33% in Canada versus 10% globally, and Apple Audiobooks grew 996%. BookNet Canada research shows audiobooks became the preferred format for 16% of Canadian readers in 2025, up from 8% in 2020, making Canada audiobook publishing one of the strongest growth opportunities in the market.
How do I publish ebooks in Canada?
To publish Canadian ebooks, distribute to Amazon Kindle, Kobo and Kobo Plus, Apple Books, Google Play Books, and Everand. Kobo is disproportionately important because Rakuten Kobo is headquartered in Toronto, so Kobo and Kobo Plus together hold two of Canada's five biggest sales channels. PublishDrive distributes ebooks to all major Canadian stores from a single catalog.
How do I publish audiobooks in Canada?
For Canada audiobook publishing, distribute to Audible, Apple Audiobooks, Kobo audiobooks and Kobo Plus, and Canadian library systems via OverDrive. Audible grew 33% in Canada in 2025 and Apple Audiobooks grew 996%, partly driven by AI-powered digital narration. As an Apple Books preferred partner, PublishDrive can also generate an AI-narrated audiobook from an eligible English-language ebook at no production cost.
What are the best-selling book genres in the Canadian book market?
Fantasy and Romance lead by revenue, followed by Health & Fitness, Mystery & Detective, Young Adult Fiction, and Comics & Graphic Novels. The fastest-growing categories in 2025 were Political Science (+824%), Philosophy (+509%), Medical (+196%), Computers (+148%), Psychology (+128%), and Self-Help (+100%). For more on how these genre trends compare globally, see the PublishDrive Market Intelligence Report 2026.
Which stores sell the most books in Canada?
By revenue in 2025: Amazon.com, Amazon Print, Kobo, Apple Books, Kobo Plus, Google Play Books, Everand, Audible, OverDrive, and Apple Audiobooks. The Canadian market is more multi-channel than the global average, where Amazon alone accounts for 77% of network revenue.
What is happening in the Canadian book market in 2025?
In 2025, the Canadian book market grew 36% year over year through PublishDrive — far ahead of the 4% growth recorded by BookNet Canada for the wider Canadian print market. Print book revenue surged 79%, audiobook units grew 81%, and ebook revenue grew 23%. Non-fiction categories including Political Science (+824%), Philosophy (+509%), and Medical (+196%) grew fastest. Kobo Plus subscription doubled while Everand declined. A "buy Canadian" consumer trend lifted Canadian-authored titles to 14% of print unit sales. Canada is one of the strongest-performing major English-language markets for independent authors in 2025.
Methodology. Sales figures in this article are drawn from the PublishDrive Market Intelligence Report 2026 and aggregated 2025 sales data across PublishDrive's global distribution network, reflecting transactional activity from self-published authors and independent publishers distributing to multiple channels. Growth figures are year-over-year comparisons of 2025 against 2024. Revenue-per-unit figures are derived from the ratio of value growth to volume growth and are indicative rather than exact. This data represents activity within PublishDrive's ecosystem and does not claim to represent the entire Canadian book market. External context is sourced from BookNet Canada (Canadian Book Market 2025, Canadian Leisure & Reading Study 2025), Publishers Weekly, Rakuten Kobo corporate announcements, Apple Books for Authors, and PublishDrive's published partner documentation.
Read the full report → PublishDrive Market Intelligence Report 2026