Booktopia Pens Deal with Canadian E-Book Giant

Australians are reading a lot more than they used to since the outbreak of COVID-19. According to a report from Booktopia, the reading rates have risen 285 percent in the last few months.

In particular, Booktopia has seen an increase in readership of thrillers, which rose 157 percent, crime by 127 percent and a 110 percent increase in fiction.

Over the past few months, there has been a 61 percent increase YoY of eReader sessions across Australia. Furthermore, from March to April, there was a 60 percent increase in reading YoY.

This increasing eReader popularity has aligned the partnership with Canadian e-book giant, Rakuten Kobo. Rakuten Kobo is a renowned ‘dedicated digital bookseller’ – which enables more than 38 million readers worldwide.

“Booktopia’s combination of deep expertise and loyal customers is the perfect compliment to Kobo’s focus on creating excellent digital reading experiences,” said Kobos’ CEO and President, Michael Tamblyn.

“Collaborative partnership with booksellers has been hugely successful in other markets like Canada, where we were founded by and continue to partner with the book retailer Indigo; the Netherlands where we are partnered with Bol.com; or France and Spain where we’ve partnered with Fnac, to name a few,” he said.

As eReading becomes more widespread throughout Australia, Rakuten Kobo said it was the perfect opportunity to align with Bokotopia to bolster further growth. “If a book retailer is fielding a competitive eReading experience in the face of global competition, we are usually working with them,” Tamblyn said. “We look forward to this next phase of growth in Australia.”

Tony Nash, the CEO of Booktopia, aims to expand the growth and digital footprint of e-readership across Australia. “At Booktopia, we are in tune with the needs of our customers, and it is our constant goal to bring them new ways of immersing themselves in reading,” Nash said. “We are pleased to be partnering with Rakuten Kobo and expanding our digital footprint in Australia, launching a new offering of eBooks, audiobooks and devices for our customers.”

“Together with Kobo, we’re exploring new ways to make reading easier for customers by offering exceptional experiences however they prefer to shop and read,” Nash explained.

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