Bloomsbury's e-books surge

E-book sales are up 70 per cent on a year ago at the Harry Potter publisher Bloomsbury, helping to offset a 2 per cent slide in print book revenues and keep profits on track.

Nigel Newton, chief executive, described the e-book growth as a "seismic shift", pointing to how digital sales across the US outstripped hardback sales in the first quarter.

Sales of young adult and children's books are growing faster than mainstream adult titles, according to US publishing figures.

Bloomsbury's best-sellers have included Salvage the Bones, the debut novel by Jesmyn Ward, and Wisden Cricketers' Almanack 2012.

Mr Newton has pushed into academic and professional publishing.