The book trade in Ireland is booming with sales up by more than 20 per cent to date this year. Here are some of the highlights from The Irish Times’ article.

The Stats

• Sales up to September 10th were €76.4 million, up 20.3 per cent on 2015, according to Nielsen Bookscan
• The largest growth has been recorded in non-fiction (up 24.5 per cent to €31.4 million) and in children’s (up 24.4 per cent to €26.7 million) book sales
• Fiction is up 8.4 per cent with sales of €18.1 million
• The bestseller of the year has been Harry Potter and the Cursed Child (selling 56,300 copies to date).

Attributing Factors

• The improving economy meant more disposable income and discretionary spending
• The decline in the value of sterling has meant books are also cheaper in Ireland
• The publication of a number of big titles most notably the new Harry Potter book.