Physical Book Sales Rocket As Digital Dips

Physical book sales have rocketed by four million this year, fighting back against the digital revolution.

Predictions, a few years ago, that the printed book would die appear to have been greatly exaggerated.

Last year saw the first rise in sales since 2007, while digital book sales dropped for the first time since 2011.

Betsy Tobin, who runs the independent bookshop Ink@84 in Highbury, London, offers her customers a personalised service.

The bookshop offers coffee and alcohol and runs events and special author evenings.

Diversifying is part of her success but she says her customers also like buying in person rather than online.

They take pleasure from handling and owning books, she said.

"People are re-discovering their infatuation with books and with bookshops," she said.

"Publishers these days are putting enormous amounts of effort and creativity into book design and our customers really respond to that.

"People want to see beautiful books and then want to touch and feel them."

Children's books have generally continued to sell well, as have cookery and colouring books.

The best-selling author for teen fiction, Robert Muchamore, isn't particularly surprised by the figures.

"Kids love the idea of having something physical," he said.

"They spend so much time on computers, with their phones, and there's the attraction of having the physical books - the other thing is ... they love to collect."

So far this year 85 million printed books have been purchased - 4.3 million more than last year.