Projections Estimate 2012 Revenues at $43.46 Billion

New York, NY (May 31, 2008) -- The Book Industry Study Group, Inc. (BISG) just released figures from the upcoming 2008 edition of Book Industry TRENDS, the comprehensive view of U.S. book publishing dollar and unit sales that uniquely covers publishers with under $50 million in annual revenue as well as the larger publishing companies. Copies of the report can be ordered from the BISG website.

Book Industry TRENDS 2008 estimates that total publishers' net revenues in 2007 reached $37.26 billion, up 4.4 percent over 2006's total, and that unit sales in 2007 reached nearly 3.127 billion.

Book Industry TRENDS projections show revenues reaching nearly $43.5 billion and units at 3.15 billion by the end of 2012.

Providing estimates for 2006 and 2007 and projections for 2008 through 2012, Book Industry TRENDS 2008 covers the entire U.S. book publishing industry. With the exception of a short section consisting of Traditional Summary Data tables, all figures in the latest edition of TRENDS are based on data about the full range of small and mid-size publishers coupled with data about the more visible large houses.

Reports on interviews with more than 30 industry insiders, which are also included in Book Industry TRENDS 2008, reveal that publishers today are less strained and more determined to grapple with issues and implement solutions than they were a year ago.

Growth Leaders

Elhi sales showed strong revenue growth, posting a 6.4 percent increase between 2006 and 2007, led by hardcovers, which were up 20 percent in net dollar sales and up nearly 18 percent in net unit sales. Sales of religious books continued to grow strongly in 2007, with an increase of 6.3 percent in net revenue.

Trade publishing overall experienced a 4 percent increase in revenue but only a negligible increase (0.4 percent) in unit sales between 2006 and 2007. Within trade, hardcover juvenile led the way with a 13 percent increase in net dollar sales and a 10.5 percent increase in net unit sales, largely due to the release of the last Harry Potter title.

Tracking Trends for Over 30 Years

BISG has been tracking publishers' dollar and unit sales for more than 30 years. Throughout the past three decades, Book Industry TRENDS has provided invaluable data on the U.S. book business. Book Industry TRENDS numbers are widely quoted in prestigious publications including The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, USA Today, The Washington Post, Business Week, Publishers Weekly, Subtext and many other periodicals that serve book industry professionals, who rely on Book Industry TRENDS as they plan for the future.

BISG expanded its data sources in 2006 to cover the significant and growing segment of the U.S. book publishing market composed of companies with annual revenues of up to $50 million as well as the segment comprising larger companies that Book Industry TRENDS has always tracked. This year, Book Industry TRENDS also includes data on sales of a subset of electronic books.

Robert M. Wharton and Albert N. Greco, senior researchers at The Institute for Publishing Research, provided the analysis of data in this volume. Robert Wharton is also a professor and chair of the Department of Management Sciences at Fordham University's Graduate School of Business Administration. Albert Greco is the author of The Book Publishing Industry and the co-editor of Media Economics: Theory and Practice, as well as a professor of marketing at Fordham's Graduate School of Business Administration.

Interviews for Book Industry TRENDS 2008 were conducted, analyzed and reported by Stephanie Oda and Glenn Sanilso of Open Book Publishing.

For more information, or to order a copy of Book Industry TRENDS 2008 visit the BISG website.

Media Contact:
Michael Healy
Executive Director
Book Industry Study Group, Inc.
646-336-7141
michael@bisg.org
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About Book Industry Study Group, Inc.
The Book Industry Study Group, Inc. (BISG) is the U.S. book industry's leading trade association for policy, standards and research. The mission of BISG is to create a more informed, empowered, and efficient book industry supply chain. Membership consists of publishers, manufacturers, suppliers, wholesalers, retailers, librarians, and others engaged in the business of print and electronic media. For 30 years, BISG has provided a forum for all industry professionals to come together and efficiently address issues and concerns to advance the book community.

Learn more about BISG at www.bisg.org.

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