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Paper books bounce back as ebook readers slump

High Street book chain Watersones saw a jump of 5% in sales of paper books - and said that demand for Amazon’s Kindle ebook reader, which it sells, had ‘disappeared, to all intents and purposes’.

Paper books bounce back as ebook readers slump

Reports of the death of the paper-and-ink book may have been greatly exaggerated - after ebook readers slumped and paper books bounced back this Christmas.

High Street book chain Watersones saw a jump of 5% in sales of paper books - and said that demand for Amazon’s Kindle ebook reader, which it sells, had ‘disappeared, to all intents and purposes’.

Waterstones now plans to open more bookshops in the coming year.

The Nook from Barnes & Noble is one of the Kindle's main rivals
The Nook from Barnes & Noble is one of the Kindle's main rivals



Bookshop chains such as Borders closed in the face of commercial pressures including rivalry from ebook readers such as Kindle - and tech sites predicted that ebooks would spell and end to the paper-and-ink version.

But clever commercial decisions by Waterstones chief executive James Daunt have shown how bookshops can flourish in the electronic age.

Speaking to the Financial Times, Douglas McCabe of Enders Analysis said, ‘The rapid growth of ebook sales has quite dramatically slowed and there is some evidence it has gone into reverse.’

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The company refurbished its stores - and allowed local managers to choose a range of titles to suit their area.

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Daunt credited the recent sales figures to the ability of local stores to respond to local tastes.

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‘We used to try and run exactly the same bookshop in Blackpool as in Hampstead. That, my youngest daughter would tell you, is probably not sensible,’ Daunt said.