It’s hard to imagine the book world without Amazon. This giant of a company has transformed how we shop for books and how they’re written, published, and consumed. As a leader in the digital book sales market, Amazon has become the go-to platform for both traditional publishers and self-published authors. But how did Amazon grow to dominate this space? Here are five surprising facts that shed light on how Amazon became a digital publishing powerhouse.
The first book Amazon ever sold
Amazon wasn’t always the multi-industry giant it is today. When it launched in 1995, it was an online bookstore—one of the first of its kind. The first book sold on Amazon was Fluid Concepts and Creative Analogies by Douglas Hofstadter, an academic work on artificial intelligence! (We find this fact super interesting given our foray into AI, with Essentials of AI for Beginners being one of our first books!) This small start paved the way for the tech behemoth we know today, which sells over 22 million books annually across genres.
The Kindle revolutionized reading
In 2007, Amazon introduced the Kindle, revolutionizing how people read books. With the Kindle, readers could store thousands of books on a single device and download new titles with just a few clicks. This was a game-changer for avid readers and travelers alike. Fast forward to today, and Amazon controls nearly 80% of the U.S. eBook market. The convenience of the Kindle played a significant role in making digital reading mainstream.

Self-publishing authors now earn more than traditional authors
Amazon’s Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP) platform, launched in 2007, democratized publishing. For the first time, authors could bypass traditional publishing houses and take their books directly to market, keeping up to 70% of the royalties. Today, self-published authors on Amazon often earn more than traditionally published authors, especially in popular genres like romance, mystery, and science fiction. Amazon now hosts over a million self-published titles, with authors generating substantial incomes.
Print still sells—but it’s digital that’s growing
While Amazon is known for its digital dominance, print sales still play a significant role. Amazon accounts for nearly 50% of print book sales in the U.S. However, the real growth is in digital formats, where Amazon’s eBooks and audiobooks have exploded in popularity. In 2020 alone, digital book sales on Amazon saw a 30% increase as readers shifted toward convenient, on-demand access to titles.
Amazon has its own imprint
In addition to being a marketplace, Amazon has also become a publisher. With more than 15 publishing imprints—including AmazonCrossing, which translates foreign language books into English—Amazon is also responsible for creating original content. This strategic move has allowed the company to further solidify its hold on the publishing industry by offering new opportunities for authors to reach a global audience.
Amazon’s journey from a simple online bookstore to the leading digital book platform is remarkable. Through innovations like the Kindle, the rise of self-publishing, and its foray into original content, Amazon has transformed how books are published, sold, and read. Whether you’re a reader, an aspiring author, or just curious about the publishing world, Amazon’s influence on the industry is undeniable and only growing.
This article is intended for aspiring authors, publishers, and those interested in the publishing industry. Originally published on www.cloverlanepublishing.com.