By Ruth Hoey

When the first lockdown in the UK was introduced in 2020, it brought with it a renewed spark of interest in physical books. While we remained confined to our homes  and barred from bookshops, book sales continued to climb. According to The Guardian, ÔÇ£more than 200m print books were sold in the UKÔÇØ in the year of 2020 when the pandemic first struck. This number was the highest recorded since 2012, almost a decade previously. 

The sale of physical books exploded when bookstores reopened in June 2020, with book sales increasing by 31% compared to the previous year. This huge growth continued following the reopening of bookshops, after the second lockdown in November 2020. This time, the marketÔÇÖs weekly volume of books sold hit 4m. As the pandemic progressed, the newfound obsession with physical books only continued to grow.

So what caused this massive increase in the popularity of physical books? 

Well, there are a number of factors which came into play during the first year of the pandemic. To name a few:

EveryoneÔÇÖs Stuck at Home

Being unable to leave the house – other than once a day to exercise – played an important role: all of the sudden, people had to find new ways to keep themselves entertained. Many people discovered a love of reading, whereas others simply  rediscovered an old passion that had been long neglected in the busyness of everyday routine.

EverythingÔÇÖs Online

Work, school, socialisingÔǪ lockdown had many of us staring at screens all day, going straight from online lectures to Zoom quizzes with friends. While these could be entertaining, there came a time when everyone had done one quiz too many – and suddenly, a physical book away from screens was a very tempting prospect. 

Escapism 

Reading in general provided a form of escapism, but reading away from a screen helped the escapist aspect. Getting lost in the pages of a story was one of the easiest ways to relax at home and offered a distraction from reality.

Social Media

As people spent more time on social media, they were likelier to stumble on communities of book-lovers, and therefore likelier to read a book they saw recommended. The lockdown saw a rise in the popularity of book-related content, which impacted the fame of certain books that were hyped on platforms like Instagram and Tiktok. These spaces – dubbed Bookstagram and BookTok – introduced whole new audiences to the joys of books, encouraging them to pick up a reading habit. 

What does this mean for the industry?

Physical books have proven to be massively popular over the pandemic for a number of reasons; an encouraging trend, as many in the print industry have feared the growing dominance of e-books.

Ebooks are a great form of reading and provide readers with instant access to a huge variety of literature. However, physical books still hold a vital space in the publishing industry. The two forms work together to promote reading in its many creative and valuable forms. Therefore, this revival of interest in physical books is encouraging to re-establish this balance between the forms.

ItÔÇÖs difficult to say if this trend will continue after the pandemic. Hopefully, we will see the continued influence of this re-found joy in physical books for many years to come.