Bowker Reports Traditional U.S. Book Production Flat in 2009
The output of “non-traditional” books grew extraordinarily in 2009. Marketed almost exclusively on the web, these books are primarily on-demand titles produced from reprint houses, which specialize in public domain works, and presses catering to self-publishers and “micro-niche” publications. With Bowker projecting 764,448 titles produced outside its traditional publishing and classification definitions, that makes a 181% increase over 2008 – already a double of 2007’s output. This demonstrated increase marks 2009 as the first year total book production has reached over 1,000,000 units.
Gallagher concludes, “Non-traditional publishing, especially related to print-on-demand, continues to offer new avenues and opportunities to grow the publishing industry. Given the exponential growth over the past three years, it’s showing no signs of abating.”
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