Bowker Reports U.S. Book Production Declines 3% in 2008, but "On Demand" Publishing More Than Doubles

NEW PROVIDENCE, NJ, May 19 (MARKET WIRE) --
Bowker, the global leader in bibliographic information management
solutions, today released statistics on U.S. book publishing for 2008,
compiled from its Books In Print(R) database. Based on preliminary
figures from U.S. publishers, Bowker is projecting that U.S. title output
in 2008 decreased by 3.2%, with 275,232 new titles and editions, down
from the 284,370 that were published in 2007.

Despite this decline in traditional book publishing, there was another
extraordinary year of growth in the reported number of "On Demand" and
short-run books produced in 2008. Bowker projects that 285,394 On Demand
books were produced last year, a staggering 132% increase over last year's
final total of 123,276 titles. This is the second consecutive year of
triple-digit growth in the On Demand segment, which in 2008 was 462% above
levels seen as recently as 2006.

"Our statistics for 2008 benchmark an historic development in the U.S.
book publishing industry as we crossed a point last year in which On
Demand and short-run books exceeded the number of traditional books
entering the marketplace," said Kelly Gallagher, vice president of
publisher services for New Providence, N.J.-based Bowker. "It remains to
be seen how this trend will unfold in the coming years before we know if
we just experienced a watershed year in the book publishing industry,
fueled by the changing dynamics of the marketplace and the proliferation
of sophisticated publishing technologies, or an anomaly that caused the
major industry trade publishers to retrench."

(Editor's Note: Members of the news media who are interested in obtaining
statistics from Bowker for specific industry categories are invited to
email Daryn Teague, Bowker's public relations consultant, at
dteague@teaguecommunications.com.)

"The statistics from last year are not just an indicator that the industry
had a decline in new titles coming to the market, but they're also a
reflection of how publishers are getting smarter and more strategic about
the specific kinds of books they're choosing to publish," explained
Gallagher. "If you look beyond the numbers, you begin to see that 2008 was
a pivotal year that benchmarks the changing face of publishing."

Among the major publishing categories, the big winners last year were
Education and Business, two categories that might suggest publishers were
seeking to give consumers more resources for success amidst a very tough
job environment. There were 9,510 new education titles introduced in the
U.S. in 2008, up 33% from the prior year, and 8,838 new business titles,
an increase of 14% over 2007 levels.

By contrast, the big category losers in 2008 were Travel and Fiction, two
categories in which publishers clearly saw less demand during a deep
recession in the U.S. There were 4,817 new travel books introduced last
year, down 15% from the year before, and 47,541 new fiction titles, a drop
of 11% from 2007. Moreover, the Religion category dropped again last year,
with 14% fewer titles introduced in the U.S., and that once reliable
engine of growth for publishers is now well off its peak year of 2004.

According to Gallagher, the Bowker data reveals that the top five
categories for U.S. book production in 2008 were:

1. Fiction (47,541 new titles)
2. Juveniles (29,438)
3. Sociology/Economics (24,423)
4. Religion (16,847)
5. Science (13,555)

Methodology

The book production figures in this news release are
based on year-to-date data from U.S. publishers and include traditional
print as well as on demand titles. Audiobooks and E-books are excluded.
If changes in industry estimates occur, they will be reflected in a later
published report. Books In Print data represents input from more than
75,000 publishers in the U.S. The data is sent to Bowker in electronic
files, and via BowkerLink(TM), Bowker's password protected Web-based
tool, which enables publishers to update and add their own data.

Books In Print is the only bibliographic database with more than 8 million
U.S. book, audiobook and video titles. It is widely regarded throughout
the publishing industry as the most authoritative and comprehensive source
of bibliographic data available worldwide, and has been a trusted source
of data in North America for more than 50 years.

About Bowker

Bowker is the world's leading source for bibliographic information. The
company provides searching, analytical, promotional, and ordering services
to publishers, booksellers, libraries, and patrons through national and
international brands, including: Books In Print(R), Global Books In
Print(R), Syndetic Solutions(TM), Pubnet(R), PubEasy(R), PubTrack(TM),
AquaBrowser(R), and more. In the U.S., Australia and Puerto Rico, Bowker
is also the exclusive ISBN and SAN Agency and a DOI registration agency
for the publishing industry. Bowker is headquartered in New Providence,
New Jersey, with operations in East Grinstead, England, and Port
Melbourne, Australia. For more company details, please visit
www.Bowker.com.

Media Contact:
Daryn Teague
Teague Communications
(661) 297-5292
Email Contact

Copyright 2009, Market Wire, All rights reserved.

-0-