eBooks are now outselling paperbacks too

eBooks have outsold both traditional hardback and paperback book formats for the first time, according to the American Association of Publishers. $90.3 million worth of eBook sales were made in February 2011, an increase of 202% over the same month a year earlier.

The strong figures, coming so quickly after Christmas, suggest that it was a good holiday period for the makers of eReaders, with a spike in users looking to add to their digital book libraries.

However, the American Association of Publishers compile their data from publishers alone, with retailers like Barnes and Noble witholding their sales stats. It therefore makes it difficult to tell just how closely run the traditional book vs ebook race was during the month.

Regardless, Barnes and Noble have already suggested that retailers have two years to adjust to an increasingly eBook-orientated industry, or be left in serious financial trouble.