The Miami Book Fair, held every November, draws more than 60,000 in person and online. Last year’s event featured 300-plus programs and 583 authors and interviewers in English, Spanish and Creole.
Florida bookstores, school stores and newsstands will generate $2.6 billion in revenue this year, according to market intelligence firm IBISWorld. It reports 5,996 Florida book sellers, up 2.8% from 2020. The firm projects 5.2% growth through 2030.
In 10 of the 12 years from 2008 to 2019, total bookstore revenue in Florida fell. Of late, brick-and-mortar retail outlets, both chains and indies, have had success against Amazon and their e-commerce foes by focusing on local community interests, the sensory experience, author visits, coffee shops, community gathering and book clubs. TikTok’s BookTok has helped as has focusing on particular genres, such as cookbooks or romance. Orlando’s romance-only The New Romantics store was noted in IBISWorld’s national report.
Miami-Dade has 15% of the state’s bookstore total followed by Broward, Palm Beach, Orange and Pinellas. Miami-Dade also ranked first in bookstore revenue.
Florida, the third largest state, ranks third in the number of booksellers and has a 7.2% share of the nation’s bookseller total, according to IBISWorld. The state ranks fourth in bookstore revenue.
Nationally, the book retailer profit margin is 4.8%. Barnes & Noble, the leader in market share, holds 8.4% of the market.
Barnes & Noble opened a store in an old Bed, Bath & Beyond space in the Palms of Carrollwood shopping center in Tampa in April, its 43rd store in Florida. Tony and Lauren Dungy cut the ribbon and signed copies of their works, Uncommon Influence and Uncommon Marriage. The chain, after 15 years of closing stores, opened more new stores in 2024 than in the decade from 2009 to 2019. It was on schedule to open its 44th in Miami in September and 45th in Kendall in October.