It was seeming as if the days of good old printed books were numbered. Increasing use of electronic devices has taken a toll on books. People n
ow spend much of their free time on their phones and tablets. Even those who do read book have resorted to devices like the Kindle. Surprisingly, UK has seen a fall in the sale of ebooks.
UK ebook Sales Decline
Uk has seen a surge in the sale of books, but this does not include ebooks. Figures for 2016 which have been released by the Publishers Association have shown a 7 % increase from 2015, which is the biggest year-over-year growth rate in a decade. Physical book sales increased by 8 percent, but ebook sales declined by 3 %to £538 million. The biggest reason for the decline is said to be the consumer ebooks like autobiographies, novels, etc. Consumer ebooks dropped to 17 % to £204 million. The figures suggest that people are going back to physical books. People spend so much time on their electronic devices the whole day, physical books give them an opportunity to disconnect. People get screen tiredness and fatigue from the continued use of electronic devices. Books provide a break from all that screen time. This does not mean that the future of ebooks is over. The digital sales increased by 6 %to £1.7 billion overall. Digital sales bring 35 percent of the industry revenue. The revenue is mostly attributed to professional textbooks and academic journals, that increased by 6 percent to £277 million in 2016. Smaller authors find the ebook market important as it lets them self-publish their works. There is a wide variety to choose from. The ebook offering is distinctive from the conventional books stores. Both the formats can exist at the same time, as they offer different values to customers.
Personally, I prefer conventional books to ebooks. The joy of reading a conventional book is uncomparable. However, e-reading is convenient in the sense that you can easily buy books online.
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What do you prefer? ebooks or conventional books? Share with us in the comments below!
