The predictions released a few years ago, in which it was said that the printed books would end up disappearingThey were a bit wrong and well exaggerated if we find figures like the ones we have today. What it does seem is that both digital and printed can be very well for different reasons and needs of readers.
And it is that already last year the first sign of the change in relation to the sales of printed books appeared since 2007 in which it was stagnant, to even know that the sales of digital books have fallen for the first time since 2011. This increase is due to how bookstores have also been able to adapt to the new times with offers and a variety of services.
An example of this may be a independent bookstore in London in which a personalized service is offered to its customers. In this space, coffee and alcohol are offered, and they have special events and appointments with authors to encourage a bookstore to become a special place for culture. I already commented a few months ago how independent bookstores are able to survive in this digital age.
The diversification of services is part of the success of this type of bookstore in which many of their clients prefer to buy in person instead of making those purchases online. Say, you take the pleasure of taking the book in your hand, feeling it, and finally acquiring it.
Publishers are also putting in a bit of their own to make the books more creatively designed, something clients are quick to respond to. And I will finish with the figure that you surely want to know, and that is that this year there have been sold 85 million printed books, which is 4,3 million titles more than last year.