What Are People Reading in E-Books This New Year?...Lifestyle Category Stands Out

In the New Year e-book market, usage of books in the "lifestyle" category that help bring about tangible changes in life, such as cooking and exercise, has increased significantly.

According to January usage data compiled on the 16th by the reading platform KT Milliui Seojae, usage in the lifestyle category rose by 36% compared with the previous month (December. This was the highest growth rate among all categories.

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The foreign language category also grew by as much as 31%. It was followed by self-help (14%) and fiction (11%), showing that in the New Year e-book market, practical and learning-oriented categories directly tied to goal setting were generally strong.

The expansion of the lifestyle category appears to be partly driven by recent media trends. After the cooking survival program "Black & White Chef 2" aired, cooking-related books such as "Chef Choi Kangrok's Cooking Note" by winner Chef Choi Kangrok gained popularity, and as interest in health management increased, usage of books in exercise and hobby categories rose in tandem. In particular, demand has grown more for practical content that presents specific behavioral changes such as cooking and exercise than for general self-help books focused on psychology and mindset.

Changes were also observed in the time of day people were reading. In January, the peak usage time shifted away from the usual commuting time (8 a.m.) and pre-bedtime period (11 p.m.), with the largest number of users instead concentrated between 4 p.m. and 6 p.m. KT Milliui Seojae interpreted this as an effect of the winter vacation season for users in their 20s who are university students, which increased the share of daytime reading.

By day of the week, usage was highest on Thursdays and Fridays, continuing the trend of enjoying reading ahead of the weekend. The single most-read book during January was the novel "Honmono" by author Seong Haena. A KT Milliui Seojae representative explained, "The data shows that, with the New Year, readers are going beyond simple resolutions and are actively trying to change concrete aspects of their lifestyle such as cooking and exercise."

Meanwhile, KT Milliui Seojae has continued to grow for four consecutive years since turning a profit in 2022. In the full-year results for last year, announced on the 14th, the company reported record-high revenue. KT Milliui Seojae's cumulative annual revenue for 2025 was 88.2 billion won, with operating profit of 14.4 billion won. These figures represent increases of 21% and 31%, respectively, compared with the previous year.

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