Hachette has reported that in 2018 global revenue was €2.52 billion. Canada and the US accounted for 29% of their revenue, which was around $736 million dollars. This was an overall increase of 27% from 2017.
In a prepared statement, HBG CEO Michael Piestsch said: “HBG’s increased profits in 2018 were the result of superb publishing across our divisions, solid revenue growth, a continued rise in downloadable audio sales, and a strong backlist performance.”
Hachette reported that sales of digital audio rose 30% across its publishing operations and accounted for 2.7% of total revenue, up from 2.0% a year ago. Ebook sales fell in the United States and United Kingdom, but still represented 7.9% of revenue.
The publisher is betting on a number of big name authors for their 2019 revenue. This includes Malcolm Gladwell’s Talking to Strangers, James Patterson’s The 18th Abduction, Harlan Coben’s Run Away, Jared Diamond’s Upheaval, and George Will’s The Conservative Sensibility, among others.
Michael Kozlowski is the editor-in-chief at Good e-Reader and has written about audiobooks and e-readers for the past fifteen years. Newspapers and websites such as the CBC, CNET, Engadget, Huffington Post and the New York Times have picked up his articles. He Lives in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.
