If you can choose between physical and digital books, which one will you pick? Surprisingly, many people are still staying loyal to printed material in the world of digital! Take a look!

Physical books vs e-books

First, let’s start with a few numbers from the Association of American Publishers’ annual report. Just last year in the U.S, the publishing industry recorded a total of $26 billion in revenue. Moreover, the print segment took up $22.6 billion and e-books taking $2.04 billion. Nowadays, we’re getting used to digital media such as streaming music, e-books or online newspaper. However, many people still show their love for physical books.

Meryl Halls, managing director of the Booksellers’ Association in the U.K, shared her insight on the matter. “I think the e-book bubble has burst somewhat, sales are flattening off, I think the physical object is very appealing. Publishers are now producing incredibly gorgeous books, so the cover designs are often gorgeous, they’re beautiful objects,” Moreover, she also added that people usually love to showcase what they’ve read.

She went on to explain the reason behind people’s love for book display. “The book lover loves to have a record of what they’ve read. It’s about signaling to the rest of the world. It’s about decorating your home, it’s about collecting, I guess, because people are completists aren’t they, they want to have that to indicate about themselves.”. On the other hand, the popular genres in the print include nature, cookery and children’s books. Additionally, e-readers mostly prefer crime, romantic novels, and thrillers categories (according to Nielsen Book International.)

Do millennials buy print books?

Surprisingly, the answer is YES. Based on the latest study, younger people appear to take more interest in print. In the U.K, 60% of physical book sales go to people under the age of 44. Meanwhile, over 52% of e-book sales come from those over 45. Do you prefer physical books or e-book? Drop a comment to let us know!