Bloomsbury hits a high note as sales gather pace

0 Bruce Springsteen, seen performing last year at Hampden Park in Glasgow, has helped sales The unlikely combination of Bruce Springsteen and Harry Potter helped pump up revenues at publisher Bloomsbury in the first quarter as sales at the group’s digital division picked up pace.

The group said total revenues rose 19 per cent in the three months to 31 May, or 13 per cent on a constant currency basis.

Top-selling titles in the period included JK Rowling’s evergreen Harry Potter series, Neil Gaiman’s Norse Mythology and A Court Of Wings And Fury by Sarah J Maas.

Sales in digital resources, which features the recently launched Bloomsbury Popular Music, rose 16 per cent. The resource has been a hit with music students and features artists including US rock star Springsteen, nicknamed The Boss.

Bloomsbury noted in its trading update that the first quarter traditionally generates the smallest profit of the financial year, but the board expects annual profit to be in line with its expectations.