Booksellers fight back as prices fall by 17%

BOOK prices have dropped by 17% over the past three years as booksellers fight back against recession and the challenge presented by ebooks.

While the sector has had high-profile casualties such as Hughes & Hughes which went into liquidation last month, industry heads believe the majority of sellers will survive the spending slump. Sales of books actually went up significantly from 2007 to 2009, rising by 20% to a total of 14.6 million copies last year, but the value of those sales only rose by 3% in the same period, totalling €156.5m last year.

That’s because the average selling price dropped from €12.60 in 2007 to €10.75 last year – a feature John McNamee of the Irish Booksellers Association says will help keep customers coming through the door.