The Brazilian e-book market is on the rise and in 2015 major publishers sold over 1,264,517 titles. This is an increase of 4.2% compared to last year, but what is most exciting is that publisher revenue was 21% higher than 2014. This is primarily attributed to publishers charging more money for e-books.
In North America it has been well documented that in 2015 major publishers gained more control over e-book pricing and the average cost per title increased. Amazon, Apple, Kobo and other retailers sell e-books in Brazil and the publisher increase affected that market as well. In 2014 the average cost of an e-book was R $ 13.84, however in 2015 the cost increased to R $ 16.16.
E-Books might be trending upwards in Brazil, but hardcovers and paperbacks reign supreme. In 2015 over 389.27 million units were sold, bringing in over R $ 5.23 billion dollars.
One of the barriers of e-book adoption in Brazil is the high import fees on e-readers and tablets. The average person finds it financially difficult to rationalize buying a dedicated e-reading device and spending 2x what it costs.
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.