According to the
British publishers association (PA) statistics, contrary to the decline in
e-book sales, the paper book market has shown a trend of uptrend, and more and
more readers choose to return to traditional reading.
In 2017, book
sales in the British publishing industry increased by 5%, and the book market
value reached 5 billion 700 million. In the recent PA 2017 Yearbook, the
overall sales of the UK book market increased by 4% to 3 billion 700 million in
2016 (which includes both electronic books and physical books). However,
digital book sales have fallen by 2% in the overall upward trend, further
indicating that the market is returning to printed
books.
"The growth
in sales of printed books is a sign that consumers are returning to this
traditional form of reading," said Stephen Lotinga, PA chief executive. Printed books have a unique charm, for
the majority of readers have unlimited attraction, is suitable for "deep
reading" carrier. To allow readers to enter into the reading, not only can
enjoy the beauty of the text, but also can create a whole beautiful atmosphere
through the book's binding, design and the texture of paper, even the ink of
printing. As readers are enthusiastic about reading books, more and more
publishers want to make their books look better through the design of famous designers
and illustrators, to ensure that paper books are the ideal form of reading in
the eyes of the public. "
The number of
books exported to the European market increased by 13% to 489 million, and the
sales of books exported to East and South Asia increased by 8% to 248 million.
Stephen Lotinga says the UK is still the world's largest exporter of books, and
publishers and publishers will regain confidence from the above sales data and
continue to invest in print and digital books. Another boost to the success of physical book
sales in the UK came from the non-fiction and reference market, which grew by
2% to 620 million pounds. In addition, hardcover fiction books are absolutely
the black horse in the market, with a 31% growth rate and sales of 97
million. It is predicted that
sales volume of printed products will remain flexible in the future, which is
worth looking forward to.
Vicky Ellis,
Clays Sales Director, said: "The growth in book sales has driven our
business, but it has not reached the level of growth shown in the sales
figures. I believe that people see books as an elegant thing in a cultured
life, a breakthrough in the digital and social media world. We will further
invest more in order to cope with today's market changes. "
Although the
sales of sports textbooks in the UK fell by 12% to 158 million, the sales of
sports books exported to foreign countries had increased by 2% to 93 million.
The total sales volume of English teaching books increased by 13% to 20 million
pounds. In the face of these figures, David Martin, sales director of the
Berwick-upon-Tweed book printer, said, "the company's book sales business
based on learning resources has reached a steady growth in the recent period.
You can use the same book over and over again, and digital products need to be
updated and often very expensive, which is why physical resources and printed
books are still welcomed by the school. "
Despite the
rapid development and popularity of the Internet, people still enjoy reading
printed books. With the return of paper reading, the development prospect of book printing market will be worth
looking forward to.
