Books turn over new leaf as paperback sales rise

BOOK lovers are returning to traditional formats for their literary fix as sales rise, the Irish Mail on Sunday can reveal.

Data company Nielsen says the market has seen an increase in both fiction and non-fiction sales as readers ditch their tablets and Kindles in favour of paperbacks. Powerful works by homegrown writers are credited with boosting book sales. The bestselling Irish book of the year was Emma Hannigan’s Letters To My Daughters, which shot to No.1 spot in February. The 45-year-old mother of two, pictured, died a month later, following a battle with cancer. Meanwhile, Dubliner Liz Nugent’s thriller Skin Deep also made the top 10 list of books sold in Ireland. Topping the list is international hit, Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine.

The figures reveal that the market was worth €54.4m up to July 14 – a 6.4% increase.

Gill Publishing director Nicky Howard said: ‘Despite much of the hand-wringing about digital, it appears that books are back – and that they never really went away.’