Offshoring and the Global Marketplace

Another consideration some environmentally conscious book publishers may overlook is foreign sustainability efforts. "U.S. manufacturers spend hundreds of thousands of dollars to comply with environmental issues—China spends next to nothing," says Nason.

The Global Market Is Here

The debate will continue to rage over the benefits vs. damages brought to U.S. companies by offshoring. American publishers will continue to weigh both sides as well.

But there is little debate that globalization is here and its effects are being felt in most industries. "Global book publishing is following the trends of globalization in general. The merger and acquisition activity of the last decade or so has created publishing houses that are no longer American, but rather multinational corporations with little loyalty anywhere in the world. They will manufacture their products where they can get the best price. Short of a major global disaster, this trend will continue," says Nason. "Worzalla and other U.S. manufacturers are fortunate that a significant amount of volume has stayed because of delivery and non-economic reasons."

This may be the only point where opposing perspectives agree. "Globalization is here to stay," says Coburn. "[It would be] easier to stop the Atlantic from pouring into the Pacific than to stop the ebb and flow of commerce."

- Noelle Skodzinski