Bowker

A new subscription data service, one that takes a detailed look at a vast array of consumer behavior, could help the industry get inside the mind of book consumers more than it ever has before. R.R. Bowker, best known for providing bibliographic data for the book industry, introduced its PubTrack Consumer product earlier this month. The service will offer static product information, data that Kelly Gallagher, Bowker’s general manager of business intelligence, says will empower the industry to know their customers much better than they have in the past. According to Gallagher, the primary distinguisher between the new Bowker product and other surveys that collect

Or maybe that should be, Available Now at a Bookstore Near You. After all, it was only a few years ago that digitally printed books were thought of as a modern version of vanity press for wannabe authors or only appropriate for titles with narrow audiences. It was acceptable for volumes catering to niche interests, product manuals, and the college course packs but not for “real” books. After all, the machinery was relatively slow, digital printing was low quality, and existing binding equipment couldn’t deliver a marketable product. How things have changed. Now there are digitally printed books at major book stores, at Amazon, and

Children’s books may be about finding the kid in all of us, but everyone in the children’s publishing business agrees that they have to grow up when it comes to taking advantage of profitable opportunities. The Internet is clearly not going away, yet with the need to protect children from cyberspace predators, publishers have to go through parents to get through to their young audiences. Once you reach them, however, it can’t hurt to be as multidimensional as possible. Jason Wells, publicity and marketing director for New York-based Harry N. Abrams Inc., says kids are looking for books that are not just self-contained

18,000 Based on preliminary figures from U.S. publishers, Bowker is projecting that U.S. title output in 2005 decreased by more than 18,000 to 172,000 new titles and editions. This is the first decline in U.S. title output since 1999, and only the 10th downturn recorded in the last 50 years. According to Bowker projections, however, 2004 numbers were a tough act to follow—it had the highest total of new titles and editions ever, and reflected an increase of 19,000 new books over 2003. Bowker, May 2006 No. 1 Great Britain, long the world’s per capita leader in the publication of new

For the second consecutive year, Visant Corp. nailed down the top spot in Book Business’ Top 30 Book Manufacturers List (p. 41)—ranked by 2005 book manufacturing revenue—in what was certainly an up-and-down year for many book printers. The book manufacturing landscape continues to change, with paper prices on the rise while availability declines. Publishers are being more vigilant than ever in controlling their costs, while Asia’s impact on the market increases each year. In its annual look at the state of the industry, Book Business sought insights from executives at four of the companies on the list—four companies, it is worth noting, that posted

NEW PROVIDENCE, N.J. -- Bowker, a bibliographic information agency, released a report this week that shows book publishing in the U.S. decreased 18 percent in 2005 to 172,000 new titles and editions -- marking the country’s first decline since 1999. The statistics, based on preliminary figures from U.S. publishers, were compiled from Bowker’s Books In Print database, a comprehensive listing of more than 6 million U.S. book, audiobook and video titles. The U.S.’s decrease allowed for Great Britain to assume the top spot as the world’s leader in English-language publishing, with the U.K.’s 206,000 new books in 2005 representing a 28-percent increase. The U.S.’s

NEW PROVIDENCE, N.J.--May 24, 2005--Bowker, the leading provider of bibliographic information in North America, today released statistics on U.S. book publishing compiled from its Books In Print database. Based on preliminary figures, Bowker is projecting that U.S. title output in 2004 increased by 14 percent to 195,000 new titles and editions, reaching another all-time high. The catalyst for growth in 2004 was adult fiction, which reversed a three-year plateau and increased a staggering 43.1 percent, to 25,184 new titles and editions, the highest total ever recorded for that category. Adult fiction now accounts for 14 percent of all titles published in the United

R.R. Bowker, a leading provider of bibliographic information in North America, has acquired Syndetic Solutions, a provider of enriched content for a library's online catalog. Public, academic, school and special libraries use offerings developed by Syndetic Solutions to supply their databases with unique added-value content. The solutions provide enrichment options such as cover images, summaries, author notes, excerpts and book reviews. "We are very excited to add Syndetic Solutions as part of Bowker's offerings to libraries worldwide," says Michael Cairns, president of R.R. Bowker. "We felt the combination of Syndetic's extensive research within the market, together with our product development resources, will result

The numbers tell the story. There are 145,000 book titles vying for attention on bookseller's shelves. That's up a mere 3% over last year, according to market researcher R. R. Bowker, with little prospect for growth in this stalled economy. Book publishers have limited options to capture the attention of buyers. One tactic is increasingly popular: a striking cover. Vivid colors, metallic foil and inks, ultraviolet-cured compounds, 3D holograms, lenticular motion graphics—all are techniques finding favor with book designers and marketers. Intended to grab the eye or titillate the touch, these design techniques stand out, attracting readers to the detriment of lesser-styled competing