Amazon UK: Kindle eBooks outsell hardcovers by more than 2 to 1

And 650,000 titles now available

19 May 2011 15:04 GMT / By Rik Henderson

Amazon has revealed that sales of Kindle eBooks on its UK store now outsell hardback books by over two to one. Since 1 April, for every 100 hardbacks sold, the retailer has shifted 242 Kindle books.

This includes hardcover books that aren't yet available on the Kindle, and excludes free eBooks, which would obviously make that figure far greater.

And this is as sales of hardcover books are growing. Staggering.

Gordon Willoughby, European director, Kindle, is naturally pleased at the rise in eBook take-up: “This is truly astonishing when you consider that we’ve been selling hardcover books from Amazon.co.uk for over 13 years and Kindle books for only nine months," he says.

The figures are in no small part by the rapid adoption of the format by publishers. Over 650,000 titles are now available for download on Amazon.co.uk, with another one million plus being offered for free.

Who knows, if this continues, it may even stop grannies becoming pirates (as reported on Pocket-lint yesterday).

Now that would be a claim to fame.

Have you ditched your hardbacks for Kindle versions or other eBook formats? Let us know in the comments below...

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Amazon, Kindle, Amazon Kindle, eBook readers, ebooks