Reports of the death of printed books, at the hands of e-books, have been (to borrow from Mark Twain) 'exaggerated'. The market is split between physical and e-publications.

This distinction is seemingly of form over substance. The purpose of both is to carry literary content. But both UK and EU VAT law provide for different VAT treatments. In the UK, only a physical publication is zero rated, whereas for other EU governments, the reduced rate is available only for physical literature. E-publications are standard rated.