The value of digital fiction sales rose 188% during the initial six months (H1) of 2012 to £84m, when compared to £30m during the same period in 2011, according to UK Publishers Association (PA).
During the period, children’s digital books reported highest sales of about 171% along with 128% rise in digital non-fiction e-books over the same period the earlier year.
PA CEO Richard Mollet said the results of the Publishers Association’s Sales Monitor show that British publishing continues to perform strongly despite difficult economic conditions.
"In particular, the huge increase in digital sales shows how rapidly readers and publishers are embracing e-book reading," Mollet said.
"Whether books are enjoyed physically or electronically, publishers will continue to invest in exciting authors and titles."
According to PA, the overall digital sales rose to £145m, with physical book sales declining 0.4% to £982m by value and 3.8% decline by volume to 251 million, when compared to the same period in 2011.
The value of total sales of books, merging digital and non-digital books, reported 6.1% rise during the period and generated £1.1bn revenue, when compared to the same period in 2011.
In the initial six months of 2012, Digital sales related for 12.9% of the total value of sales, a rise from 7.2% during the corresponding period in 2011.
