BookStats, the deepest, most comprehensive statistical survey ever conducted of the modern U.S. publishing industry — capturing its size, scope, revenue and rapid strategic expansion across multiplatform content and sales distribution channels — is being released today.
Spanning 2008-2010, BookStats offers data and analysis of the total industry and the individual Trade, K-12 School, Higher Education, Professional and Scholarly markets. Produced jointly by the Association of American Publishers and the Book Industry Study Group, its highlights include:
Publishers’ net sales revenue has grown annually; 2010’s $27.94 Billion is a 5.6% increase over 2008.
Overall U.S. publishing revenues are growing
Overall U.S. publishing unit sales are up as well
Publishers’ 2.57 Billion net units sold in 2010 represent a 4.1% increase since 2008.
Americans, young and old, are reading actively in all print and digital formats
2010 total net sales revenue in the consumer-focused Trade market is $13.94 Billion, increasing 5.8% since 2008 (and excluding 2011’s e-book sales surge). Both Adult Fiction and Juvenile (non-fiction and fiction) have seen consistent annual gains.
Education publishing holds steady and, in some segments, shows solid growth
Higher Education’s $4.5 Billion net sales revenue for 2010 represents a significant 23.1% increase over 2008. K-12 School, the industry’s second largest category by net sales dollar volume, reached $5.5 Billion revenue in 2010.
Professional and Scholarly publishing shows gains
The Professional market’s $3.7 Billion net sales revenue was +6.3% over 2008. Scholarly publishing experienced 4.7% growth since 2008, with $191 Million net sales revenue for 2010.
BookStats examines the industry from three distinct angles: by publishing categories, publishing formats and sales distribution channels.“The BookStats study indicates that the publishing industry is healthy and growing during a time of unprecedented change,” said Dominique Raccah, Founder and CEO, Sourcebooks and Chair of the BookStats Committee. “Publishers in every sector of our business have made significant investments in content and technology to better serve their audiences’ needs and those efforts seem to correlate with the results we’re seeing.”
More highlights about overall publishing
More highlights about publishing categories including breakdowns of fiction and non-fiction
More highlights about publishing formats including hardcover, paperback, e-books, internet and bundled products and services
More highlights about distribution channels including physical and online retail, independents, export sales, wholesalers/jobbers and institutional sales
BookStats’ methodology includes source data from nearly 2000 publishers, additional databases and resources. How BookStats was built
The complete BookStats survey is available for purchase along with a supplemental online dashboard enabling customization of the data. How to purchase BookStats
