Print Book Sales Grow as E-book Sales Dip

[responsive][/responsive]Earlier this month we reported that for books, print is making a comeback (based on figures from Nielsen BookScan and reported by Publisher’s Weekly). We noted that print books significantly outsold e-books in the first half of last year, further indicating the consumer preference for print.

The Nielsen survey shows that e-books lost ground in Q3 of 2014, down 2% of unit sales from the beginning of the year, again reported by Publisher’s Weekly. At the same time, paperback book sales edged up, as did hardcover, indicating that the digital slump is not indicative of a larger downturn in the overall book market.

Perhaps the novelty is wearing off and consumers are buying accordingly. Perhaps the studies that show reading comprehension is higher in print and that younger readers prefer print over digital books are being played out in the marketplace.

Digital reading devices do have their uses, when carrying print books is unwieldy or impractical (hello, overhead bins) yet they aren’t replacing print any time soon. The studies explain why, and the numbers are only confirming what consumers have been saying. Books in print rock.