Full-Time Book Publishing Jobs Declined By 44% Over 27 Years - But Revenue & Book Launches Are Up!

 

The number of people working in the book publishing industry rose in 2023 to nearly 55,000 up by 3,700, from 2021’s 51,200. But 2021 was a low point. In 1990 that number was 85,800 and in 1997 it peaked at 91,100. Where did everyone go - and how is it that the 30-billion-dollar book publishing industry is at an all- time high of 2.7 million annual published books, with a record 400,000 from traditional publishers?  

Maybe it’s the way the US Bureau of Labor Statistics accounts for these jobs that can explain the significant numbers discrepancy. Or, it can be a matter of industry changes, including:   

Massive Consolidation -- this removes duplication and typically yields pink slips 

Technology--from editing and graphic design, to a move to online selling and the use of A.I, technology, these things may be doing away with some jobs. 

Outsourcing -- by using foreign-based workers and companies to fulfill certain publishing functions, US jobs took a hit. 

Print-On-Demand --The world of book printers has been shrinking greatly. 

PR Drop - Many book publishers have shrunken PR teams, as publishers rely upon or expect authors to do publicity.  

Literary Agent Squeezer – The size of book advances are way down and author earnings have shrunk over the years, meaning fewer literary agents can make a living on this.  

By 2012, a few years after the Great Recession, which overlapped the rise of the e-book and the destruction of Borders employment dropped to 70,000. In time for Trump’s first election in 2016, the number dropped to 60,000. In 2021, it bottomed out, 44% from its peak. 

What’s also interesting is there’s been a shift away from New York City. Only 17% of the publishing workforce in 2023 works in New York City.  

Another factor is the type of designation we give these workers. The government is looking at full-time positions. There are many part-time job, shared gigs, freelance work, and temp workers in the industry - all of whom may not be accounted for here. 

One thing is clear, the book industry is growing in revenue, number of published books, and number of bookstores - but it is doing so slowly and perhaps at the expense of full-time worker positions. It’s an industry of the self-published and the freelancer. How it impacts the quality of books published will be something for future generations to evaluate.  

 

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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 (https://pubspot.ibpa-online.org/article/whats-needed-to-promote-a-book-successfully).  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.