Bookshop.org, the online bookselling platform, reported 65% year-over-year growth for the first six months of 2025. The platform introduced e-book sales in January of this year and, having already sold more than $1 million in e-books, the category now "represents 5% of overall sales," according to Andy Hunter, Bookshop.org's CEO. He said the company is projecting $3 million in total e-book sales by the end of the year. The platform is also looking into producing its own e-reading hardware.
Hunter said that Bookshop.org now works with 2,471 bookstores and with approximately 90% of the American Booksellers Association members, with which it works on an affiliate sales model.
A central pillar of Bookshop.org's business plan is that it distributes 10% of all non-affiliate profits to independent bookstores twice a year. This July's distribution was $1,887,459 and each eligible bookstore partner will receive $744.27, with additional locations earning $372.13 per storefront. Eligible partners receive equal shares regardless of individual sales performance.
The growth comes as the broader book industry faces headwinds. Direct-to-consumer e-commerce companies are down 9% year-over-year in 2025, while U.S. book sales industry-wide have declined 1.6%.
Looking abroad, Hunter said e-book sales in the U.K. are currently in private beta with a full launch expected soon. While Bookshop.org maintains a partnership with Libro.fm for audiobooks in the U.S., it plans to launch audiobook sales directly in the U.K. during the first half of next year.
Bookshop.org has also partnered with AWIN Affiliate Marketing to expand its reach among influencers and other promotional partners. The platform also recently conducted an "Anti-Prime sale" offering free shipping to counter Amazon's Prime Day event earlier this month. Hunter said that during its Anti-Prime sale, Bookshop.org made $1.5 million in sales.
Despite industry conversations about AI automation, Hunter said that AI has had no impact on Bookshop.org's business—and he remains skeptical of the technology. "I am a big fan of human recommendations, and I'm a big fan of human writing," he said.
