Flagship Consumer Book Study, "Business of Consumer Book Publishing," Adds Format Trends, Demographics to Analysis

STAMFORD, CT, Jul 14 (MARKET WIRE) --
Simba Information, which recently published the eye-opening "Trade E-Book
Publishing 2009" and "Trends in Trade Book Retailing" reports, has
released its annual "Business of Consumer Book Publishing" study,
providing a comprehensive view of the state of the U.S. consumer book
market and its challenges.

The report predicts another difficult year for consumer books (last year's
edition projected a sales decrease of about 5%) but there are still
reasons to be optimistic even as consumers continue to tighten their
belts.

"We're not seeing consumers abandon books," said Michael Norris, senior
analyst for Simba Information, "but more are buying fewer books,
particularly titles with a high price point such as hardcover and audio
titles, and gravitating even more toward paperback editions."

Backing this up, the report features -- for the first time -- a
comprehensive review of the format trends of bestselling titles for over a
dozen key consumer categories (including Biographies, Cookbooks, Political
Science, Business, Mystery, Self-Help and Graphic Novels) over a five-year
period, which allows the user to gain a unique understanding of whether
consumers are gravitating toward one format over another as they purchase
major titles. The report also projects where these and other categories
will head in the future -- and which ones are the most vulnerable to
competition from online sources.

In addition to an expanded analysis of electronic books in this report,
"Business of Consumer Book Publishing" also features a new chapter on
consumer demographics, drawn from data Simba complied from Simmons Market
Research Bureau's national consumer survey, arguably the finest and most
independent resource available for demographic analysis.

As with previous editions, the latest version of this annual report offers
data analysis from a number of highly respected sources, such as the
Association of American Publishers (AAP), Simba's own "Book Publishing
Report" newsletter and proprietary research, Simmons Market Research
Bureau and Stuart Johnson & Associates.

About Simba Information

Simba Information is widely recognized as the leading authority for market
intelligence in the media and publishing industry. Simba's extensive
information network delivers top quality, independent perspective on the
people, events and alliances shaping the media and information industry.
Simba publishes newsletters and research reports that provide key
decision-makers at more than 15,000 client companies around the globe with
timely news, analysis, exclusive statistics and proprietary industry
forecasts. For more information, please visit www.simbainformation.com or
call 888-29-SIMBA.

Media Contact:
Warren Pawlowski
Simba Information
203.325.8193 ext. 114
wpawlowski@simbainformation.com

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