On MediaBistro’s GalleyCat, Jason Boog reports that data from the March Association of American Publishers net sales revenue report shows that e-book sales revenue has for the first time ever exceeded that of hardcover books in the first quarter of 2012. Adult e-book sales for that period were $282.3 million, while adult hardcovers were $229.6 million. For comparison, the sales numbers were $220.4 million and $223.5 million respectively, during the first quarter of last year.

It’s also worth noting that the sales figures for adult paperback fell from $335 to $299.8 million from 1Q11 to 1Q12; e-books are narrowing the gap there, too. Perhaps in another year or two e-books will be beating them as well.

It’s kind of funny: hardcovers are one of the publishing industry’s big cash cows, because they earn a lot more money for each sale than they actually cost to print. And now e-books are outselling them. Just another milestone for the industry, I suppose.

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