For the first time in three years, sales of books in New Zealand have increased.
The number of books sold over Christmas rose by 10 percent, and sales for the year were up by eight percent.
The chief executive of the Booksellers Association, Lincoln Gould, said there had been a significant turnaround, with the trend for book sales climbing.
"Booksellers have not seen figures like this for a few years, and they come despite doomsayers telling tales of e-book and off-shore online sales heralding the death of the bookshop," he said.
He said more shops were getting onboard with online selling, and for many this had become a significant part of their revenue.
But Mr Gould said there were still problems for the book industry.
"New Zealand booksellers remain competitively cramped in competing with off-shore online retailers who do not collect GST on sales," he said.
Booksellers in Australia, the United States and the United Kingdom are all reporting record Christmas sales and a rise in overall book sales last year.
