Ebook sales boom, but not at expense of print books according to Bloomsbury

Harry Potter publisher Bloomsbury saw a 70% jump in ebook sales from March 1 to July 11 of this year, MSN Money reports. Despite a 2% drop in print sales over the same period, Bloomsbury chief executive and founder Nigel Newton said there is “no evidence” that print books are a dying format.

Bloomsbury has enjoyed great print success recently, namely from the seven-book Potter series, but also looks to future sales in the ebook industry. “It will be a mixed market,” Newton continues, “just as it has been for 40 years for hardback and paperback formats – it’s just another new format.”

This new format is clearly booming though, as Newton points out that historical, western, and sci-fi novels are frequently downloaded by readers, with literary fiction on the rise as well. He also notes that while all age groups are downloading ebooks, middle-aged to older readers do so at the highest rates.

Do you agree with Newton, that ebooks are unlikely to cause a decrease in print book sales? Or do you think the newer format will significantly harm the traditional print one? Let us know, especially if you have downloaded the Harry Potter ebooks from Pottermore!

Thanks to MSN Money for the insight!