Lagardere Publishing, the corporate parent of Hachette, reported that eBooks composed 20 percent of US adult sales in the final quarter of 2011.

Worldwide, sales were down 5.9 percent for the publishing arm of the media conglomerate, publisher of Stephanie Meyer and Nicolas Sparks.

Here’s more from the release: “United States activity grew strongly (+12.8%) on the back of new bestsellers (The Best of Me by Nicolas Sparks, Seriously… I’m Kidding by Ellen DeGeneres), despite problems with distribution networks (bankruptcy of Borders) that lingered on into the fourth quarter. The e-books growth continued in the fourth quarter, mainly in English-speaking countries: in the United States and United Kingdom e-books accounted for 20% and 10%, respectively, of Adult Trade at the end of December 2011.” (Via Jose Afonso Furtado)