According to figures released by the Publishers Association and revealed by The BookSeller, there has been considerable growth in audiobook and fiction sales in the UK during the first six months in 2020 compared to the same period for the preceding year. Specifically, audiobook sales during the first half of the year witnessed a sharp 71 percent growth compared to the same period last year.
To put the above in figures, audiobook sales amounted to £76 million during the first six months of 2021, up from £45 million last year. eBook sales however witnessed a slower 10 percent growth during the same period, from £121 million to £133 million. Similarly, consumer print sales grew by 6 percent, from £687 million to £731 million.
Print consumer nonfiction sales, on the other hand, remained flat at £427 million, the same that it has been in 2019. With digital print non-fiction, sales rose to £53 million, up from £41 million, which makes for a 30 percent growth in sales.
All of these points to books have emerged as the preferred means of entertainment when the pandemic was at its peak and most were forced to remain indoors during the time. Also, while books in all their forms were in demand, the rise of audiobooks is particularly noticeable, which conforms to global trends currently prevailing where audiobooks have seen stupendous growth in demand.
With a keen interest in tech, I make it a point to keep myself updated on the latest developments in technology and gadgets. That includes smartphones or tablet devices but stretches to even AI and self-driven automobiles, the latter being my latest fad. Besides writing, I like watching videos, reading, listening to music, or experimenting with different recipes. The motion picture is another aspect that interests me a lot, and I'll likely make a film sometime in the future.
