Traditional printing dipped slightly last year in USA while POD saw sharp decline. This is bad news for printing industry and paper mills. Good news for the environment
Production of print books by traditional publishers in the USA slowed slightly in 2013, but non-traditional, mainly print on demand (POD), production saw a sharp dip.
According to figures from Bowker, a ProQuest company that provides bibliographic information, production of print books by traditional publishers in the USA declined from 309,957 titles in 2012 to a projected 304,912 titles in 2013. According to the company, the two per cent decrease reverses the sector’s growth in 2012 over 2011, but points to a relatively stable market for print works despite competition from e-books.
In contrast, the non-traditional publishing sector saw a far more significant decline over 2012. Its print output for 2013 was projected at 1,108,183 titles, a decrease of 46 per cent from its production of 2,042,840 titles in 2012 and a dramatic reverse from its 55 per cent growth in 2012 over 2011. Bowker defines the non-traditional sector as comprised primarily of reprint houses specialisng in public domain works and by presses catering to self-publishers and ”micro-niche” publications. Their titles are marketed almost exclusively on the web and print-on-demand.
‘Traditional print production is holding up relatively well, supporting industry reports that e-book sales growth has been slowing,’ said Han Huang, director of product management for Data Licensing at Bowker. ‘Though the non-traditional sector dropped significantly, we feel it’s simply a market correction. The huge production that took place from 2010 through 2012 was an unusual period for non-traditional publishing, reflecting higher levels of investment and innovation.’
Related internet links – Bowker – ProQuest – Full statistics report
Source: Research Information
