HarperCollins is one of the largest publishers in the world. They have just reported over two billion dollars in revenue in their fiscal year, which started in June 2021 and ended in June 2022. Digital sales increased 4% compared to the prior year, this was driven by continued growth in digital audiobook sales. After rising in fiscal 2021, e-book sales fell. For the year, digital sales represented 21% of HC’s Consumer revenue for the year, down from 22% in fiscal 2021.
When it comes to digital there was a number of front-list titles that moved the needle. The Storyteller by Dave Grohl, Pioneer Woman Cooks: Super Easy! by Ree Drummond, and The Stranger in the Lifeboat by Mitch Albom. Sales of the Bridgerton series, which skyrocketed in fiscal 2021 due to the release of the Netflix series based on the first book in the line, fell $16 million in the year.
News Corp is the parent company of HC and CEO Robert Thomson predicted that the Amazon Prime release next month of the Rings of Power will result in huge boost in sales for the Lord of the Rings books on which it is based. The series, Thomson said, “is going to have a profound impact on HarperCollins’ performance, and the related publicity will no doubt stimulate sales.
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.