Interesting History Of America’s Book Trade

 

 

Only 6% of new releases sell at least 1,000 copies -- and 80% of self-published titles sell fewer than 100 copies, according to Michael Castleman in his new book, The Untold Story of Books: A Writer’s History of Book Publishing. 

 

He correctly notes that 7,400 new books are launched daily in America. That’s one every 12 seconds.

 

He also says that since World War II, women have bought two-thirds of all trade books, including 75% of all novels sold. “Women read more than men in all categories except history, sports, politics, automotive, military, and biography,” says Castleman. 

 

His book helps provide a historical perspective of the book industry. 

 

By 1800, America only had five million people, and 40% could read, while three million, could not. Boston, with 30 booksellers, was America's biggest book town, Philadelphia, with 50% more people and 16 booksellers was No. 2. And NYC, with 50% more people than Philadelphia and 13 booksellers, was a distant No. 3. But by 1825, the Big Apple exploded into becoming the nation’s publishing capital. Why? The Erie Canal.

 

Running 363 miles from the Hudson River to Lake Erie, the canal “provided the first water way from the Atlantic to the Great Lakes, and dramatically reduced shipping costs to America’s vast interior.”

 

By 1870, the book notes, there were 1,200 American publishers, enough to support the creation of a trade magazine, Publishers Weekly, which debuted in 1872. 

 

In 1880, book releases totaled 2,700. By 1914, with the population doubling in 34 years to 99 million, there were 12,010 new books. Average print runs per title rose in 1885 from 1,000 to 1,500 in 1914.

 

By 1902, 92% of Americans were literate and a then-record 1,797 novels were published.

 

From 1929 to 1933 during The Great Depression, new releases declined 21% and print runs were cut in half. 

 

In 1940, 11,328 new titles came out. Department stores like Macy’s sold half of all trade books. Indie bookstores sold 25% and the rest were sold at drug stores, stationery stores, and specialty shops. 

 

In 1943, Time magazine reported that 300 million copies of books were sold. In 1914, that number was 175 million. 

 

Throughout the 1950s, book sales spread. In the 1960s, they boomed, almost quadrupling from the prior decade. In 1959, 14,876 books were published. That total doubled a decade later to 29,579 published in 1969. 

 

By 1980, 42,377 new titles came out. 

 

Today, with indie and self-published books, 60x the output of 1980 was released: 2.7 million titles last year. Publishing houses only account for about 400,000 of these titles. During the entire 20th century, U.S publishers released an estimated 2.5 million titles, but since the millennium, many new books appeared every two years, then every year. 

 

The book believes book publishing has undergone three major phases, beginning with Johannes Gutenberg’s invention of movable type, and lasting some 450 years through the end of the 19th century. The 20th century saw some publishing and a tiny fraction of authors getting richer than anyone previously thought possible. Then around, 2000, the digital revolution, which made publishing available beyond the traditional publishers, led to the democratization of books and an explosion in book choice for consumers. More annual new releases and no books going out of print as a result of e-books and print-on-demand technology make for a crowded field. 

 

“Before Gutenberg, Europe housed fewer than 10,000 books,” writes Castleman.” But by 1500, after just sixty years of printing, the number exceeded 20 million pamphlets and books, and by 1600, as printing spread around the world, 150 million… the printing press spurred literacy and fostered education. It enabled mass communication, ending the political and religious elite's ‘monopoly on information.’”

 

Castleman shows that the 20th century was an aberration. Prior to it -- and since then- - most books were published by the author. The 1900s saw the rise and expansion of the mega-trade publisher, of which we now have the Big 5: Harper Collins, Penguin Random House, Simon & Schuster, Hachette Book Group, and Macmillan Publishers. But in the 2000s, traditional publishers were only responsible for maybe 15 percent of all new titles released. 

 

Publishing will no doubt continue to change and hopefully prosper, but it is worth noting that the Father of Book Printing, Gutenberg, went bankrupt. Though his invention was hailed as a revolutionary game-changer, few people were literate at the time. His Bibles cost so much that few could afford to buy or read them.

 

 

Do You Need Book Marketing & PR Help?

Brian Feinblum, the founder of this award-winning blog, with over 3.9 million page views, can be reached at brianfeinblum@gmail.com  He is available to help authors like you to promote your story, sell your book, and grow your brand. He has over 30 years of experience in successfully helping thousands of authors in all genres. Let him be your advocate, teacher, and motivator!

 

About Brian Feinblum

Brian Feinblum should be followed on www.linkedin.com/in/brianfeinblum. This is copyrighted by BookMarketingBuzzBlog ©2024. Born and raised in Brooklyn, he now resides in Westchester with his wife, two kids, and Ferris, a black lab rescue dog, and El Chapo, a pug rescue dog. His writings are often featured in The Writer and IBPA’s The Independent.  This award-winning blog has generated over 3.9 million pageviews. With 5,000+ posts over the past dozen years, it was named one of the best book marketing blogs by BookBaby  http://blog.bookbaby.com/2013/09/the-best-book-marketing-blogs  and recognized by Feedspot in 2021 and 2018 as one of the top book marketing blogs. It was also named by www.WinningWriters.com as a "best resource.” For the past three decades, including 21 years as the head of marketing for the nation’s largest book publicity firm, and director of publicity positions at two independent presses, Brian has worked with many first-time, self-published, authors of all genres, right along with best-selling authors and celebrities such as: Dr. Ruth, Mark Victor Hansen, Joseph Finder, Katherine Spurway, Neil Rackham, Harvey Mackay, Ken Blanchard, Stephen Covey, Warren Adler, Cindy Adams, Todd Duncan, Susan RoAne, John C. Maxwell, Jeff Foxworthy, Seth Godin, and Henry Winkler. He hosted a panel on book publicity for Book Expo America several years ago, and has spoken at ASJA, BookCAMP, Independent Book Publishers Association Sarah Lawrence College, Nonfiction Writers Association, Cape Cod Writers Association, Willamette (Portland) Writers Association, APEX, Morgan James Publishing, and Connecticut Authors and Publishers Association. His letters-to-the-editor have been published in The Wall Street Journal, USA Today, New York Post, NY Daily News, Newsday, The Journal News (Westchester) and The Washington Post. His first published book was The Florida Homeowner, Condo, & Co-Op Association Handbook.  It was featured in The Sun Sentinel and Miami Herald.