Take-aways from the Publishing Business Conference and Expo I just attended in New York City:

Editorial

• Literary reading is growing, not shrinking.
• Publishers are moving from publishing for general markets to focusing on more targeted markets.
• E-books are growing, but at the same time, printed books are not fading. (2006-7: e-books doubled and tree books rose 3.2%)
• Publishers are moving from print-only publications to print and digital publication. New devices for digital reading (Kindle, e-Reader, iPhone, Android) are growing and improving dramatically.

Printing

• Print-on-demand book publishing is growing, eliminating the need for overprinting, warehousing, and returns. Publishers are begining to use print-on-demand rather than offset printing for many of their titles.

Sales, Marketing, and Distribution

• Clicks vs. Bricks: Brick-and-mortar booksellers are struggling, while online booksellers are growing. (This means a change in the ways publishers promote and market books, as well as the ways they print them.)
• Publishers are looking to non-traditional distribution channels, beyond traditional booksellers and libraries.
• Publishers are moving from print and broadcast advertising to online marketing with search engines and social media.

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