Sizing the UK Book Market

1. Total UK Book Market Value

The Publishers Association estimate the total value of the UK book market at retail prices (i.e. taking into account sales of all types of books, through all sources), by basing estimates on data collected through an annual survey of its members. Responses are received from publishers accounting for c50% of estimated industry turnover, who show their home and export sales in broad categories.

The data for UK publishers' home sales are grossed up to retail price using average total gross margin figures (i.e. based on the difference between the price paid to the publisher and the final retail selling price, and where possible taking into account direct sales, discounting, etc).

These grossed-up figures represent estimates of the total UK book market. The latest published figures from the PA show this at £3,436m in 2008 (Source: UK Book Publishing Industry Statistics Yearbook 2008, Publishers Association).

2. Value of the UK Consumer Book Market

The UK consumer book market can refer both to sales of what are defined by publishers as 'consumer books', and to purchases of books by consumers (i.e. the general public).

2.1. Consumer book sales

The PA splits the total market (£3,436m in 2008) into three broad categories (consumer, school/ELT, academic/professional), based on grossing up to retail price publishers' sales in these categories, using average total gross margin figures for each.

The grossed-up figure for the consumer book category represents total UK sales of consumer books, which the PA showed to be £2,538m in 2008. (Source: UK Book Publishing Industry Statistics Yearbook 2008, Publishers Association).

Table 1 UK book sales at retail value 2008
£m
Consumer	2,538
School/ELT	257
Academic/professional	642
Total	3,436

Source: The Publishers Association

2.2 Consumer expenditure

BML's data drawn from its' Books and the Consumer survey, show that in the 52 weeks ending 4th January 2009, consumer spending decreased to £2,313m, a value decrease of 6% from the equivalent previous year. This was accompanied by a 4% decrease in volume purchases.

Table 2 Consumer book market 2008
	Volume		Value
	m	% Change	£m	% Change
Adult	248.4	-3.0	1,924	-5.0
Children's	81.1	-5.0	389	-11
Total	329.5	-4.0	2,313	-6.0

Source: Books and the Consumer 2008, BML/TMS 2009

3. Book titles published in the UK Consumer Book Market

Data on the number of book titles published in the UK book market is available from Nielsen BookData.

Table 3: Number of Book Titles Published by General Category and Binding, 1986 & 1997-2001

 

		1986	1997	1998	1999	2000	2001	'01/'86	'01/'99
								% age change	%age change
Fiction	paperback	2,719	5,624	6,106	6,463	6,864
	other bindings	3,273	3,245	3,005	3,267	3,996
	all bindings	5,992	8,869	9,111	9,730	10,860	13,076	+118	+20
School text books	paperback	1,637	2,319	3,374	3,338	3,522
	other bindings	191	703	722	625	1,118
	all bindings	1,828	3,022	4,096	3,963	4,640	3,808	+108	-18
Children's	paperback	1,853	4,564	4,766	5,263	5,817
	other bindings	2,659	3,485	3,633	3,780	4,580
	all bindings	4,512	8,049	8,399	9,043	10,397	10,784	139	-3
Sci./Tech./Med.	paperback	2,183	9,419	9,768	11,524	8,800
	other bindings	3,400	7,740	7,900	8,045	9,618
	all bindings	5,583	17,159	17,668	19,569	18,418	17,397	+212	-6
Acad./prof.	paperback	7,271	18,890	19,258	19,621	21,972
	other bindings	8,487	14,834	14,913	15,824	20,992
	all bindings	15,758	33,724	34,171	35,445	42,964	43,481	+176	+1
Non-fiction	paperback	8,115	17,960	19,050	19,847	16,832
	other bindings	6,297	9,694	10,430	11,147	12,304
	all bindings	14,412	27,654	29,430	30,994	29,136	30,455	+111	+5
Total	paperback	23,778	58,776	62,322	66,056	63,807
	other bindings	24,307	39,701	40,603	42,688	52,608
	all bindings	48,085	98,477	102,925	108,744	116,415	119,001	+147	+2

Source: J Whitaker & Sons, published in The Bookseller (various issues)

 

 

 

 

 

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