2022 was a record-breaking year for the UK publishing industry, with almost 700 million physical books being sold. That’s the highest ever recorded.
This comes as a surprise due to the increased cost of production, and one in five parents and carers said they spent less on books for their children this year because of the cost of living crisis.
On average, buying a book in the UK would cost a reader over £10. Say you read a book every month, that’s £120 a year on top general monthly bills.
So how come people have been buying books now more than ever?
Well, researchers say it’s down to social media platforms like TikTok that has made reading a trend, with users now searching for ‘BookTok’ to keep up with the latest novels.
Norwich author, James Kinsley, held a book launch of his latest publication titled, Greyskin.
Image: James Kinsley reading from his book at The Bookhive
This is Kinsley’s second piece of published work, with the launch held at The Bookhive, In Norwich’s city centre.
“I was very much a book-ish child, I’ve always wanted to be a writer since I was five six years old. So it has taken me a long time to get here.
But certainly books have been a huge part of my life”, Said James.
The Publishing industry made a total income of £6.9 billion last year, which may come as a shock living in world where streaming sites like Netflix, are a number one source of entertainment.
It seems the book boom continues to be a success!
