Top 30 Book Manufacturers

But the one trend that is important to be mindful of is publishers being more cautions about what titles they print in the first place and what titles they reprint. They feel they can take fewer chances with marginal titles, which is understandable.

What influence has Asia had on book manufacturers in North America?

Edwards: For what we do in one- and two-color work, [Asia] hasn’t affected us yet. “Yet” is the operative word. We hear about a lot of pressure on the four-color printers, and ultimately if that happens, more capacity will be available in the U.S., and that makes our world even more competitive. I think the answer to Asia is short-run and quick turnaround, just-in-time inventory.

Long: To date, the most dramatic effect has been in the four-color markets where Maple-Vail is not a player. We have seen some impact in the one-color market for projects that are not time-sensitive. The biggest area of impact has been the migration of one-color medical textbooks with four-color inserts that have become complete four-color projects that are manufactured in Asia.

Tobin: Asia certainly has had an effect over the last four or five years in the juvenile market, and it has moved into general trade—like long-run cookbooks and things like that. There is growing manufacturing of educational titles over there, but on a smaller scale, of course, because of the turn times required. But [the Asian market] is an increasing component of the manufacturing landscape, and we are planning for it. BB