New Study Forecasts Growth in 2006
Book publishing companies’ revenues will rise in 2006, predicts a new study released by Strategies for Management, an industry research and forecasting company led by industry consultant Dr. Joe Webb. Revenues can then be expected to hold steady for the remainder of the decade, according to the study, called “The U.S. Publishing Business, 1997-2010.”
The study also shows a recent increase in the number of book publishers by nearly a third. In 2002, there were 2,713 book publishing establishments; that number jumped to 3,377 in 2003 (thanks largely to digital printing and self-publishing). Strategies for Management expects this number to remain essentially flat for the rest of the decade as well.
As for the book publishing industry’s employment outlook: The number of paid employees in the book publishing industry dropped by more than 6,400 from 2002 to 2003. But the study forecasts a pretty stable environment for the next five years.
One of the most staggering findings in the report may be the prediction that the number of one- to four-employee book publishers will account for 61-percent of all book publishers by 2010.
The report examines other book publishing industry trends and benchmarks, such as annual payroll and average payroll per establishment, revenue by company size and capital expenditures.
The Impact of Changes on Other Publishing Markets
The study examines not only the dramatically changing nature of book publishing, but also of magazine and newspaper publishing, and the impact these changes will have on suppliers and manufacturers that support these vital industry sectors.
As publishing businesses adapt to new media such as the Web and other electronic forms of distribution, there will be a profound transformation of these companies’ print products—and their basic business models. The decisions publishers make, in turn, affect the demand for computer technologies, paper, ink and printing equipment. “The U.S. Publishing Business” study examines what all of this means for publishers, advertisers, software developers, suppliers and manufacturers.
