American Publishing Revenue Grows 5.6 Percent Since 2008

In What's the Buzz by Hannah Johnson

BookStats publisher tiers

By Hannah Johnson

The publishing industry in the United States has grown since 2008 thanks to increased sales of e-books, fiction and higher education books, according to the New York Times. The net revenue for the publishing industry in 2010 was $27.9 billion, a 5.6% increase over 2008. Book sales increased by 4.1% since 2008.

NYT reported higher education sales reached $4.55 billion in 2010, an 18.7% increase over 2008. Adult fiction was another strong growth area, with 8.8% revenue increase since 2008.

E-books have also generated increased revenue for publishers and accounted for 6.4% of the market with sales of 114 million units in 2010.

Not unexpectedly, hardcover and trade paperback books have lost market share with flat sales. Mass market paperbacks dropped further with a 16% decline in sales since 2008.

This data comes from the first ever BookStats report, a collaboration between the Association of American Publishers and the Book Industry Study Group. The goal of BookStats is to provide more complete data for all sectors of the publishing industry.

The report does not contain any data from 2011, a year of significant e-book growth, but monthly sales reports from the AAP indicate that print sales continue to decline while e-book sales grow.

Read the full article from the New York Times.

About the Author

Hannah Johnson

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Hannah Johnson is the publisher of international book industry magazine Publishing Perspectives, which provides daily information and news about book markets around the world. In addition to building partnerships with international cultural and trade organizations, she works with the Frankfurt Book Fair to organize and support a number of its overseas initiatives. Hannah has also worked as the managing editor for an online media company, The Hooch Life, focused on craft distillers and cocktail experts. Prior to that, she worked as a project manager for the Frankfurt Book Fair’s New York office, managing various business and marketing activities.