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Digital e-books sales reach new heights

 

Digital fiction sales have seen a huge increase in the UK, according to a report by the Publishers Association.

The sale of e-books and works of digital fiction in the first half of 2012 increased by 188 per cent compared with the same period in 2011.

“Certainly the strong e-book growth has taken the tarnish off the otherwise tricky market,” Philip Jones, editor of The Bookseller told the BBC.

“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.”

Popular best sellers like Fifty Shades of Grey by E.L James have contributed to the sales climb in the last year.

Digital sales of children’s books have gone up 171 per cent, whilst non-fiction titles have increased by 128 per cent.

In contrast, printed books continue to see a drop in sales, as physical book sales have tumbled 0.4 per cent year on year.

“The huge increase in digital sales shows how rapidly readers and publishers are embracing e-book reading,” said Richard Mollet, chief executive of the Publishers Association.

“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 creator’s rights are protected and supported online.”

As the market changes, independent booksellers are struggling to keep up with the likes of Amazon, with stores like Waterstones aiming to enter into contracts with e-book manufacturers to boost sales.

“What we don’t know yet is what will happen when more book readers get tablet devices,” said Philip Jones, editor of the Bookseller.

“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?’.”

Source: bigmouthmedia.com – 18 September,2012 By: J Ogville

 

About First Edition Design Publishing:

First Edition Design Publishing is the world’s largest eBook and POD (Print On Demand) book distributor. Ranked first in the industry, First Edition Design Publishing converts and formats manuscripts for every type of platform (e-reader). They submit Fiction, Non-Fiction, Academic and Children’s Books to Amazon, Apple, Barnes and Noble, Sony, Google, Kobo, Diesel, 3M, Ingram, Baker and Taylor, Nielsen, EBSCO, and over 100,000 additional on-line locations including retailers, libraries, schools, colleges and universities. The company’s POD division creates printed books and makes them available worldwide through their distribution network. First Edition Design Publishing is a licensed and approved Aggregator and holds licenses with Apple and Microsoft.

Visit: www.firsteditiondesignpublishing.com