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2012-09-18 11:43:45
A "huge increase" in the value of digital book sales in the UK has been
announced by trade organisation the Publishers Association.
The value of digital fiction sales in the first half of 2012 was up 188% on the
same period in 2011.
Physical book sales saw a drop in value, dipping 0.4% year on year.
Industry experts said that while the figures were healthy, other areas of the
industry, such as bookshops, continued to struggle financially.
"Certainly the strong e-book growth has taken the tarnish off the otherwise
tricky market," said Philip Jones, editor of The Bookseller.
"It is good news that the market is transitioning and making money from that,
but it is moving to a trickier situation where there are fewer booksellers."
The figures show impressive increases across the board in a year where e-book
popularity - in particular the likes of Fifty Shades of Grey - hit the
headlines for racking up massive sales.
Sales of digital children's books were up 171%, while non-fiction titles
increased by 128%.
'Exciting authors and titles'
Start Quote
The latest figures from the Publishers Association make surprisingly positive
reading for anyone in the book trade... The general reader is embracing
e-books.
image of Rory Cellan-Jones Rory Cellan-Jones Technology correspondent
Read more from Rory
The total value of sales of all books - digital and non-digital - were up by
6.1% for the January-June period.
This generated revenue of 1.1bn for the first half of the year, the Publishers
Association (PA) said.
"The huge increase in digital sales shows how rapidly readers and publishers
are embracing e-book reading," said Richard Mollet, the trade body's chief
executive.
"Whether books are enjoyed physically or electronically, publishers will
continue to invest in exciting authors and titles.
"They can do this because of the stability provided by the UK's robust and
flexible copyright framework.
"This is why The PA is at the forefront of calls to government to ensure that
copyright is not eroded and that creators' rights are protected and supported
online."
Cheap tablets
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There's a good deal of uncertainty about what will happen on Boxing Day 2012
Philip Jones The Bookseller
Mr Jones, from The Bookseller, told the BBC that independent bookshops were
struggling to keep up with their larger rivals such as Amazon.
Some other shops, such as Waterstones, are aiming to increase sales by entering
into tie-up deals with popular e-book manufacturers.
The industry is unsure, Mr Jones said, over where exactly consumer interest
will head next.
"What we don't know yet is what will happen when more bookreaders get tablet
devices," he said.
"This will be the first Christmas where you get more cheap tablet devices from
the likes of Barnes and Noble, Amazon and Kobo.
"There's a good deal of uncertainty about what will happen on Boxing Day 2012
when a few million people open up their tablet and think 'What am I going to
buy on it?'."