U.S. romance novel publisher going digital

Dorchester Publishing in New York decided to make the switch after seeing its book sales plummet 25 percent overall last year with steep declines in orders from key major retailers, The Wall Street Journal said.

Dorchester churns out multiple bargain-priced titles in the romance, horror, western and other genres for sale in specialized book stores as well as major big-box department stores. The company expects digital sales to double next year.

"It wasn't a long, drawn out decision, because we've been putting in the effort but not getting the results," Dorchester Chief Executive John Prebich told the Journal.

The newspaper said Dorchester's decision is likely the first of many similar moves in the industry. Analysts said consumers of romance novels and other such titles have been particularly quick to switch to e-book readers, particularly senior citizens who are able to adjust the font size so the letters are larger and easier to read.

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