Reports published by The Publishers Association (PA) have revealed that the sales of UK digital books have grown to £180 million. This represents 6% of the over sales of all books in the UK which now stands at £3.1bn.
Consumer digital sales including consumer ebook, downloads and audiobooks showed the greatest increase of 318% since 2009 going from £4m to £16m.
Richard Mollet, Chief Executive of The Publishers Association, said:
“The Publishers Association’s figures, which are the authoritative account of the sector’s performance in 2010, clearly show that digital publishing is growing at an impressive rate in whichever part of the sector you choose to look.
“Academic and professional publishing, which embraced digital platforms over a decade ago, continues to lead the field. But now that technology is putting e-reading devices into consumers’ hands, we are starting to see the rapid growth of digital sales in this area too, as consumer publishers develop digital formats to reach wider audiences.
“The innovation in the digital marketplace and the strength of British publishers’ export performance is only possible because of the robust and flexible copyright framework which underpins the UK creative industries. Copyright ensures that authors, writers and researchers get rewarded for their talent and expertise, and that the publishers who support them see a return on their investment – particularly in their digital infrastructure.
“Parallel to this vibrant performance in digital publishing, the traditional print book market remains hugely popular for the majority of readers and these figures point to a future of print and digital books co-existing in the marketplace.”
