by Martha Scharping
May 16, 2025
Simba Information’s 2025 report examines how professional and scholarly e-books are evolving as digital platforms, R&D spending, and AI integration reshape publishing strategies across global markets.
ROCKVILLE, MD — May 16, 2025 — Amid ongoing digital transformation and economic volatility, Simba Information’s latest market intelligence report, Professional & Scholarly E-Book Market Report 2025–2029, provides a timely and comprehensive assessment of the global e-book publishing landscape. The report estimates the market will reach $3.1 billion by 2029, driven by demand from university libraries, research institutions, and professional organizations adapting to new content delivery models and information workflows.
Drawing from proprietary forecasting models, detailed publisher profiles, and sector-level analysis, the report captures the evolution of five key publishing segments: scientific & technical, medical, legal, business, and social sciences & humanities. Despite flat growth in some areas, the report identifies clear indicators of long-term stability and strategic innovation across the market.
The global professional and scholarly e-book market reached $2.83 billion in 2024, reflecting consistent digital adoption across professional disciplines. The market is forecast to grow at a 2% CAGR through 2029. Scientific and medical segments lead that growth, generating over $1.58 billion in 2024, bolstered by library demand, global health spending, and increasing institutional reliance on subscription-based resources. Leaders such as RELX, Springer Nature, Wiley, and Thomson Reuters continue to expand their digital reach through bundled licensing, discovery tools, and AI-supported access. RELX alone brought in $334.7 million in e-book revenue in 2024.
Aggregator platforms such as EBSCO, ProQuest, JSTOR, and Project MUSE are also playing a critical role in expanding access and integration, especially in academic and hospital systems. Meanwhile, the functional definition of an e-book is changing. Titles delivered via platforms like ClinicalKey, AccessMedicine, Lexis+ AI, and Ovid now offer features such as real-time updates, searchable databases, study prompts, and citation tools embedded in professional workflows.
Beyond financial forecasts, the report analyzes regional growth trajectories, market consolidation through mergers and acquisitions, content accessibility shifts, and the influence of open access mandates. It outlines how institutional procurement preferences are changing, with increased use of evidence-based acquisition models and cross-institution licensing. Ultimately, Simba’s analysis positions professional e-books not just as static content, but as adaptive, essential tools for the modern research, legal, and healthcare environment.
Simba Information, a part of The Freedonia Group, is the leading authority of strategic intelligence for EdTech companies and other producers of instructional materials for K-12 and higher education. The company’s extensive information network delivers thoughtful, objective perspectives on the people, events, and alliances shaping the industry. In addition, Simba Information assists clients and the press with analysis of education industry trends. Reports can be purchased at freedoniagroup.com/simba-information.
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