Trade publishing grew by nearly 7%, ebooks expanded nearly 45%, according to BookStats industry survey for 2012. This is U.S. publishing’s most comprehensive annual survey now available.
New York; May 15, 2013 – The US Trade publishing industry – which produces general-interest fiction and non-fiction for adults, children and young adults – experienced significant overall growth in 2012, with eBooks increasing 45% over the past year while hardcovers and paperbacks held steady, according to the just-released BookStats Volume 3, the most comprehensive survey capturing the size and scope of the US book publishing industry. According to BookStats, total net revenue for the Trade publishing sector was $15.049 Billion in 2012, an increase of +6.9% over 2011. The overall US publishing industry – including Trade as well as K-12 School, Higher Education and Professional/Scholarly Publishing, - was $27.124 Billion for 2012.The new edition of BookStats, co-produced by the Association of American Publishers and the Book Industry Study Group, is now available for purchase. Some highlights of this year’s report: Trade publishing saw significant growth since 2011 and 2008, the report’s first year The increases were fueled by a year of strong new releases, particularly in the romance genre, and even more widespread popularity of eBooks than in past years. This growth occurred despite the loss of numerous brick-and-mortar stores in 2012 and a lower cost for eBooks than print books, which translated to higher quantities of eBooks sold. Overall Trade – Net Revenue