Lagardere Publishing, the company that owns the Hachette Book Group, reported €900 million in revenues in the first half of 2011, down 6 percent on a like-for-like basis from 2010.
The company attributed these figures to “expected decline in sales of the last book in the Stephenie Meyer series, significant progress in eBooks in English-speaking countries and solid performances in France by the General Literature and Education segments.” According to the press release, if you strip out the Stephenie Meyer issue, net sales were stable in the
US and in the UK.
While overall revenue was down, the company saw sharp growth in eBook sales in English-speaking countries during the first half of this year. In the US, eBooks accounted for 20 percent of net sales in the trade segment. In the UK, eBooks accounted for 8 percent of net sales in the trade segment. Both countries doubled their eBook net sales figures from last year. Lagardère Publishing revealed that eBook sales now represent 5 percent of total net sales throughout the company.