Skip to main content

More than globalization and digitalization affecting the book publishing industry




Book publishing is a larger industry than film and entertainment in terms of revenues. In his 15-page overview, Global Trends in Publishing 2014: an overview of current developments and driving forces in the transformation of the international publishing industry, Rudiger Wischenbart reveals in 2012 book publishing made $151 billion globally, compared with movies and entertainment ($133b), magazines ($107b), video games ($63b), and music ($50b).

Presented by the Frankfurt Book Fair Business Club – in the lead up to the Book Fair from 7-12 October 2014 – Wischenbart maintains that, at a global level, the book publishing industry is still dominated by just a few markets. The six largest markets in 2012 were United States (26% of the market), China (12%), Germany (8%), Japan (7%), France (4%), United Kingdom (3%), and the rest of the world (39%). The six largest markets account for 61% of the global value created by publishers.

China is now the second largest book publishing market, overtaking France and Germany in 2012. Europe and countries with Anglo-Saxon cultural lineage dominate the English language book market, whereas Spain dominates the Latin American market.

While globalization is on the increase, local (regional) publishers are still doing well. These include Scandinavian countries, as well as France and Germany. Both globally and locally, to increase their revenues, publishing houses have been merging to form conglomerates, especially since 2011, and more aggressively since 2013. Wischenbart comments on the ten largest publishing conglomerates, from the global Pearson’s Penguin to Germany’s Holtzbrinck.

Geographically, in 2013 the North America printed book market remained stable, while Europe was affected by economic downturns, with many book stores and chains going out of business. However, printed book sales continue to increase in December, on World Book Day (23 April), and during Book Fairs held in cities around the world. 

E-books have been largely spearheaded by the United States and the United Kingdom. But e-books only accounted for less than 5% of the book publishing market in 2013. The sales were led by self-published titles. On-line book sales increased by 20% between 2012 and 2013, while sales in book stores declined by 1% in 2013. The two ‘super’ digital e-reader sellers were China Mobile (due to the rise in the purchase of smart phones and tablet computers) and Amazon Kindle.

Wischenbart concludes that the transformation of the book publishing industry is ongoing and driven by many factors, not only by digitalization and globalization. The consolidation and mergers of companies, as well as the emergence of new players will also impact the book publishing industry into the future.



The Global Trends in Publishing 2014 paper is presented by the Frankfurt Book Fair Business Club – www.book-fair.com/businessclub
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Pir-E-Kamil - The Perfect Mentor by Umera Ahmed: book review

The Perfect Mentor pbuh  (2011) is set in Lahore and Islamabad in Pakistan. The novel commences with Imama Mubeen in medical university. She wants to be an eye specialist. Her parents have arranged for her to marry her first cousin Asjad. Salar Sikander, her neighbour, is 18 years old with an IQ of 150+ and a photographic memory. He has long hair tied in a ponytail. He imbibes alcohol, treats women disrespectfully and is generally a “weird chap” and a rude, belligerent teenager. In the past three years he has tried to commit suicide three times. He tries again. Imama and her brother, Waseem, answer the servant’s call to help Salar. They stop the bleeding from his wrist and save his life. Imama and Asjad have been engaged for three years, because she wants to finish her studies first. Imama is really delaying her marriage to Asjad because she loves Jalal Ansar. She proposes to him and he says yes. But he knows his parents won’t agree, nor will Imama’s parents. ...
1 comment
Read more

The acacia thorn trees of Kenya

There are nearly 800 species of acacia trees in the world, and most don’t have thorns. The famous "whistling thorn tree" and the Umbrella Thorn tree of Kenya are species of acacia that do have thorns, or spines. Giraffes and other herbivores normally eat thorny acacia foliage, but leave the whistling thorn alone. Usually spines are no deterrent to giraffes. Their long tongues are adapted to strip the leaves from the branches despite the thorns. The thorny acacia like dry and hot conditions. The thorns typically occur in pairs and are 5-8 centimetres (2-3 inches) long. Spines can be straight or curved depending on the species. MARTINA NICOLLS is an international aid and development consultant, and the author of:- Similar But Different in the Animal Kingdom (2017), The Shortness of Life: A Mongolian Lament (2015), Liberia’s Deadest Ends (2012), Bardot’s Comet (2011), Kashmir on a Knife-Edge (2010) and The Suda...
1 comment
Read more

Shindi: the Georgian Cornelian cherry

The Cornelian cherry – shindi in Georgian – is a fruit with medicinal and decorative properties. It was grown from ancient times, according to the International Society for Horticultural Science (ISHS). It is also commonly called the European cornel. It is native to southern Europe from France to Ukraine as well as Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Iran, Turkey, Israel, Lebanon, and Syria. The Cornelian cherry tree ( Cornus mas ) can be grown in orchards, but it is often seen in the forests of Georgia where it grows up to 1,350 metres above sea level. It is a medium to large deciduous tree, growing from 5-12 metres tall. The flowers are small with four yellow petals in clusters, which flower in February and March. The Cornus mas has three botanical varieties: (1) var. typica Sanadze with cylindrical red fruits, (2) var. pyriformis Sanadze with pear-shaped red fruits, and (3) var. flava vest with yellow fruits. The fruits are oblong red drupes about 2 centimetres ...
Post a Comment
Read more