The value of ebook and audiobook sales in the UK have grew by over 300% in 2010 according to figures released by the Publishers Association.
According to The PA Statistics Yearbook, total consumer spend on digital books grow from £4m in 2009 to £16m last year, a 318% increase.
Despite the increase, sales of digital consumer titles are dwarfed by academic and professional books which have doubled in the past 3 years.
Richard Mollet, Chief Executive of The Publishers Association, says: “Academic and professional publishing, which embraced digital platforms over a decade ago, continues to lead the field.
“But now that technology is putting e-reading devices into consumers’ hands, we are starting to see the rapid growth of digital sales in this area too, as consumer publishers develop digital formats to reach wider audiences.”
The growth in popularity for ebooks appears to have continued into 2011, last week publishers Penguin announced their sales had doubled in the first three months of the year.