Bloomsbury gets boost from Eat Pray Love's movie tie-in

Harry Potter publishing house Bloomsbury is reaping the benefits of another movie tie-in for one of its books.

Chief executive Nigel Newton was explaining how Elizabeth Gilbert's Eat Pray Love, starring Julia Roberts, has topped Nielsen Bookscan's UK non-fiction bestseller chart this week.

"It shows the power of movies and the power of anticipation of movies," said Newton, referring to the fact Roberts' film is not released in Britain for another month.

Revenues rose 4.4% to £36.8 million in the first six months. But pre-tax profits almost halved to £1 million, partly because of a slower second quarter which Newton blamed on the general election.

Sales of e-books should generate £1 million in revenue this year.

Newton has also signed deals to publish digitally Sir Winston Churchill's papers and the Berg Fashion Library on a subscription basis. "Digital publication of archives is an area with a lot of growth potential," he said.