Self-publishing helps POD take the lead in US
19.05.09 | Philip Jones
The number of print-on-demand titles published in the US has exceeded the number of traditional books produced for the first time ever, according to bibliographic data provider Bowker.
US title output in 2008 decreased by 3.2%, with 275,232 new titles and editions, down from the 284,370 titles that were published in 2007. By contrast Bowker projects that 285,394 'on demand' books were produced last year, a 132% increase over last year's final total of 123,276 titles. It is the second consecutive year of triple-digit growth in this sector, driven by the huge rise in self-publishing.
"Our statistics for 2008 benchmark an historic development in the US book publishing industry as we crossed a point last year in which on demand and short-run books exceeded the number of traditional books entering the marketplace," said Kelly Gallagher, vice president of publisher services for Bowker. "It remains to be seen how this trend will unfold in the coming years before we know if we just experienced a watershed year in the book publishing industry, fueled by the changing dynamics of the marketplace and the proliferation of sophisticated publishing technologies, or an anomaly that caused the major industry trade publishers to retrench."
Within the traditional publishing segment, fiction was the largest component, though it dropped by 11% to 47,541. Sectors on the rise included education, up by 33% to 9,510, and business, up 14% to 8,838.
"The statistics from last year are not just an indicator that the industry had a decline in new titles coming to the market, but they're also a reflection of how publishers are getting smarter and more strategic about the specific kinds of books they're choosing to publish," added Gallagher.
Total output in the US rose 38%, to 560,626 titles. The number of new books published in the UK in 2008 was 120,947, according to Nielsen BookData.
Breakdown of new title output 2008
1. Fiction (47,541 new titles)
2. Juveniles (29,438)
3. Sociology/Economics (24,423)
4. Religion (16,847)
5. Science (13,555)
Comments on this article
By Steve Weber
"Print on Demand" is a manufacturing process. It does not necessarily indicate whether a book was self-published. So, I don't see any evidence for the headline "Self Publishing Takes the Lead in US." Growth in POD is due to big publishers dropping offset printing for backlist titles in favor of POD -- in addition to the growth in self-publishing. Steve Weber19 May 09 17:11
By Chris Nichol
Couldn't agree more Steve. We publish all our titles in the USA as POD. They're not self-published. In the UK we generally print then in the standard fashion. I really think the Bookseller should know the difference between POD and Self-publishing.20 May 09 08:06
By Clive Keeble
This news item first appeared on GalleyCat where the "self-publishing" accreditation has since been corrected. The range of titles offered POD from both trade and academic publishers is rapidly increasing without taking into account the oop (and recently scanned) offerings from the likes of Kessinger Publishing.20 May 09 08:27
By philip.jones@bookseller.co.uk
Yup GalleyCat changed its headline. I can see both sides, and though I think you are right Chris (as is Steve) it is daft to suggest we don't understand the difference.The Bowker press release isn't clear: it states that the the major industry trade publishers have retrenched, not simply turned to POD as an alternative way of producing books. In which case where are the new books coming from? Also, I don't even know if "backlist" POD would be included in these figures since these are supposed to be for "new" titles. I'll email Bowker to see if there is an actual breakout of self-published titles. Otherwise what we are talking about is a shift in production, not what Bowker refers to as a "watershed year in the book publishing industry".
20 May 09 09:07
By philip.jones@bookseller.co.uk
I'm told by the Bowker folks that it is indeed fueled by self-publishing. Though they don't break out the actual number. The headline is now correct.20 May 09 13:11
By June Austin
It doesn't surprise me in the slightest, and it is only a matter of time before the same thing happens here.20 May 09 15:38
By jackie
I've just downloaded the actual statistics: the total number of books published last year jumped by about 150,000. You are not telling me that this increase is coming from publishers are you?20 May 09 15:45
By Clive Keeble
In 2008 I would estimate that Kessinger Publishing alone added somewhere between 25,000 and 40,000 titles to their catalogue : that is just one POD publisher. In my opinion, the idea that self-publishing is fuelling the massive increase in "manufactured to order|" titles is absolute moonshine.20 May 09 16:25
By richard meredith
Let's not get hog-tied with semantics. Bowker's statistics show that 2008 was the year when books produced by David-sized publishers exceeded those of the Goliaths. It really is as simple as that, and it is a monumental milestone in every sense.21 May 09 12:42
By josep
Author Solutions (ASI), the world leader in indie book publishing, is now the world leader in the most popular segment of book publishing. In 2008, the ASI family of publishers -- AuthorHouse, iUniverse, Trafford Publishing, Xlibris, and Wordclay -- brought to market more than 23,000 new titles: 30 percent more than in 2007. Overall, ASI publishing brands have helped more than 85,000 authors bring more than 120,000 titles to market. http://finance.yahoo.com/news/Author-Solutions-Now-the-prnews-15315032.html?.v=121 May 09 16:01
By Bhavish
Nice postings selfpublishing helps POD the lead in US. Great information.http://www.bhavishgraphics.com24 Jul 09 05:21
