Everand is one of those platforms I always come back to and will always appreciate. With so many audiobooks and ebooks to pick from, you'll never be bored.
That's why it's so exciting to be able to share Everand's 2025 State of Reading Report. The brand decided to share it in January to get a full metric for December which is smart. You can check out the blog post about it which includes a PDF of the full report for your viewing pleasure.
The platform also shared its metric which is pretty unique: "So, we interviewed over 1,500 US consumers between the ages of 18-64 who have paid for an audiobook or ebook subscription in the last two years." As you can see, Everand picked a huge sampling of consumers to share their opinions and give an idea of what people were picking up in the previous year.
The one thing I'm sure we can all agree on from the study is that: "95% of those we surveyed are reading for entertainment or leisure..." Most of us are either reading for entertainment or to be able to unwind after a long day. That's probably why we always see people reading in bed in TV shows or movies as it feels like the ultimate way to reward yourself after getting through the day.
The 2025 Everand State of Reading Report has some great insights.
Speaking of reading for leisure, Everand noted that more women than men are reading to relax while men are reading with a goal in mind such as education. Additionally, it was found that some of the most popular genres in the US with the top two being Mystery & Crime and Thrillers. Given how many people gravitate towards true crime, that makes a lot of sense.
As a romance reader, I was happy to see that readers between the ages of 18-24 chose romance as their favorite genre. Speaking of that, Everand also talks about how much social media plays a role in reading and helping to pick what we read. With platforms like BookTok, BookTube, and Bookstagram, there is a content creator for everyone no matter what your taste is. That statement goes hand-in-hand with Everand's findings: "34% believe reading has become more popular thanks to these platforms." No doubt we all can agree on that as BookTok has its own table at most bookstores nowadays.
Everand even touched on book banning which was something all of us heard about in 2024 as so many books were a part of that conversation: "Our survey revealed that 86.2% of respondents somewhat or strongly oppose book bans, with the strongest opposition coming from the Midwest (71.2%). However, 31% of readers admitted they’re unfamiliar with which books are currently banned, highlighting an opportunity for education and advocacy." It's good to see readers sharing their opinions and being vocal about their thoughts on book banning as it's such a huge thing in the world right now.
This State of Reading Report from Everand gave some great insights into readers and their feelings heading into 2025. Given how many books are being published this year and what's been going on in the world, it'll be interesting to see how this report changes from year to year.