Printed book sales have increased for the third year in a row as sales of e-books have declined in the same space of time. This is something that we within the industry have felt for a little while now and we are not all surprised by the latest sales figures.
Why do we think this is the case?
Reading a book is a relationship; you get to know characters and build up an opinion of them and feel emotions when events happen in their lives. This is a relationship that for many of us becomes all the more emotional when you are feeling the printed pages between your fingers and work your way through the story. It is my opinion that this is why the majority of people still prefer to read a printed book rather than one on-screen.
Yes there are other factors involved; reading from a screen can start to make your eyes ache and it has been proven that reading from a screen before sleep time can make it harder for your brain to shut down for the sleep period. However, humans are primarily driven by emotion and relationships.
Don’t believe us? How do you feel when you finally reach the end of a book that you have been engrossed in for days, week and months? It is almost a miniature mourning process as you realise that the characters and lives that you have become absorbed in are no more.
What does this mean for me?
It means that there is not just a market for printed books but an increasing market that is continuing to grow year-on-year. People like books.
Why couldn’t your book be the book that they build this relationship with?
We have invested in equipment and expertise which result in it becoming surprisingly more cost effective to self-publish than ever before. If you have a story that you want to tell then get in contact and we would be more than happy to talk it through with you.
