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NYU Center for Publishing and ForeWord Magazine Release First Independent Publishing Industry Survey Results
Trade non-fiction, religion and business are the three book genres expected to experience the greatest growth among the small and independent publishers in the next two years according to a new industry survey by New York University's Center for Publishing and ForeWord Magazine released today.This wide-ranging survey of ForeWord subscribers conducted by email in March 2005, painted a picture of an industry sector populated by small and entrepreneurial shops. Over three-quarters (86.9 percent) of respondents said their companies employ five or fewer people and 59 percent published less than 50 new titles per year.
A surprising majority (57.9 percent) stated that their firm “was not profitable” in 2004, but 76.6 percent expected to be profitable in 2005. Further, over half (57.2 percent) stated they have been in business five or less years, and 64.8 percent said that their companies netted less than $50,000 in revenues for 2004.
According to the latest industry statistics, the more than 9,000 small and independent publishing houses in the United States generate almost 48 percent of total annual book sales volume last year. In comparison, 20 publishing and media conglomerates accounted for the remaining 52 percent of book sales.
The first NYU-ForeWord survey of current and coming trends in marketing, distribution and sales was announced at NYU's Third Annual Management Forum for Independent Publishers, held in April in New York City.