Ebooks Are in Decline as Younger Readers Prefer Printed Books

If you’re concerned that ever improving technology will eventually see the fall of printed books then you’ll be pleased to learn that the sales of ebooks are in decline whilst sales of printed books continues to grow.

As the Guardian reports, book sales jumped by 2% in 2016 and saw over 360 million books sold within the UK. The figures show that readers spend an extra 6% (£100 million) on printed books over ebooks. This data was provided by the industry research group Nielsen in its annual books and consumer survey. The data also shows that things are getting better for physical bookstores with a 4% rise in purchases across the UK.

Sales in shops increased by 7% last year but ebook sales fell by 4%. This is the second year running that ebook sales have been in decline. The recent boost in sales for physical books has been attributed to the rise in popularity of adult colouring books as well as the high profile releases of novels such as Go Set a Watchman and The Girl on the Train. A report by the Publishers Association read: “Readers take a pleasure in a physical book that does not translate well on to digital.”

The rise of physical books seems to be thanks to younger readers, who seem to prefer physical books over digital ones. A survey carried out in 2013 by the youth research agency Voxburner found that 62% of 16 to 24-year-olds preferred printed books. It has been found that only 4% of children’s book sales are digital.

Research director at Nielsen Book Research UK, Steve Bohme, has said: “We are seeing that books are a respite, particularly for young people who are so busy digitally. Over the last few years we have seen a return to favouring print, partly from what is really successful, this year being non-fiction and children’s books.” Last year saw books about healthy cooking and the latest Harry Potter sell well – which Bohme said are “books that tend to translate better in the print form”.

Bohme went on to say that it is likely that ebook sales would continue to decline in 2017. “One thing we’ve seen is that when print sales surge, industry confidence in the print increases. If publishers are confident, they can have huge success,” he said. “If we have a couple of years of that success story, print sales will keep going up.”