The number of paperback books sold in the UK has slumped dramatically since Christmas thanks to the increasing popularity of e-readers such as the Kindle.
According to Nielsen BookScan, a company which tracks book sales, the number of printed books sold around the world is in steady decline Photo: ALAMY
Sales of printed novels over the first four weeks of 2012 fell by a over a million copies compared to the same month a year ago, according to industry figures seen by The Daily Telegraph.
The number of novels sold in January was just under four million, a decline of 25 per cent compared to January 2011.
Total book sales in the UK over the month – including non-fiction books such as cookbooks – fell by 12 per cent compared to January 2011.
Spending on printed, as opposed to electronic, books is now believed to be at the lowest level for almost a decade. The decline will heap pressure on traditional high street bookshops, which are already suffering due to the economic downturn and high rents.
The fall in sales of physical books has been attributed to the rapidly-growing popularity of Kindles and other e-readers, which display virtual books that are downloaded from the internet.
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