Total U.S. Book Production Reaches New High
NEW PROVIDENCE, N.J. -- Total book production in 2004 is expected to increase 14 percent to 195,000 new titles and editions, according to recent statistics compiled by R.R. Bowker.
A 43.1 percent growth (25,184 titles) in adult fiction spurred the increase, reversing a three-year plateau for the category. Other leaders included new poetry and drama titles (40.5 percent) while titles released by the largest trade houses increased 5.4 percent to 24,159 new titles. University presses increased their title output 12.3 percent to 14,484 new titles, turning around a
4.3 percent decrease in 2003.
"2004 marked a return to pre-9/11 patterns of publishing," says Andrew Grabois, senior director of publisher relations and content development for Bowker, which offers specialized reference and reporting products and services for the book publishing community. "The historic increase in fiction, and the high double-digit growth of the religion, personal development, domestic arts and travel categories, point to a seismic shift in the marketplace from the political to the personal."
Other highlights in the report include:
-- 11,458 new publishers registered with the U.S. ISBN Agency in 2004, an increase of 5.3 percent over 2003.
-- 4,040 books were translated into English from another language, a decrease
of 8.1 percent from 2003.
-- Novels published by the large trade houses averaged 359 pages in 2004, a growth of 24 pages since 1995, and 43 pages since 1990.
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