Ebook sales tumble due to readers taking more interest in non-fiction

Overall sales are on the rise

According to the Publishers Association trade body, sales of eBooks managed to fall three per cent to £538m last year.

However, total book sales which includes physical books managed to rise six per cent to £3.5bn.

Readers took more interest in self-help and fitness books, non-fiction sales increased by nine per cent, fiction revenue fell by seven per cent.

Chief executive of the Publishers Association, Stephen Lotinga, said: “Last year, one of the most eye-catching figures from our statistics was that physical book sales were increasing while digital book sales dropped,”

“While many will debate as to whether this trend will continue, we should not ignore the fact that digital sales beyond the domestic eBook market are growing.”