Digital Boost To Book Market

Sales of books in the UK edged up 4 per cent last year after a surge in the sales of e-books. 

The Publishers Association said the market is now worth £3.3 billion. Printed books still account for £2.9 billion, a drop of just one per cent on the previous year. 

Digital sales of fiction and non fiction for the consumer market increased 134 per cent to £216 million. Total digital sales, including textbooks, increased 66 per cent to £411 million. 

Consumer titles had already surged 366 per cent in 2011 as more people bought Kindle and Kobo readers and tablet computers. 

Digital formats, which include ebooks, audiobook downloads and online subscriptions,  accounted for 12 per cent, rising from 8 per cent in 2011 and 5 per cent in 2010. 

Richard Mollet, chief executive of The Publishers Association, said publishing continued to be 'healthy and continues to grow.'

Experts believe, despite the rapid adoption of e-readers, books may be more resilient than the music market was to downloading.