Newsagents I talk with are bemoaning tough trading times in all major categories since September. Many tell me sales are down significantly in most categories compared to last year. In some instances I have been fortunate to look at their sales data and one product category is bucking the trend and delivering unit sales growth of often 50% or more – discount paperbacks. Most newsagents carry them as a side item – placed on a table close to the front of the shop. In some cases this table is the most profitable square metre of real-estate in the shop.