Market research and data services provider Research and Markets, Ireland, has announced the addition of the ‘Scholarly Book Publishing Practice Report 2010’ report to their offering.
This is the first survey undertaken to establish current practices in scholarly book and e-book publishing, to provide detailed analysis and statistics in this rapidly growing market. A survey was conducted of 400 publishers, both commercial and non-profit, consisting of ALPSP and other major association members. A response rate of over 60 percent was achieved.
The publishers surveyed publish over 24,000 new titles each year. The collective backlist comprises nearly 350,000 academic and scholarly titles, covering reference, monographs, textbooks, conference reports, professional handbooks and manuals, and research reports. More than 63 percent of publishers publish e-books in one way or another, but they still account for a fairly small proportion of total book sales, with the average across all publishers at just 9.4 percent.
There has been a dramatic increase in e-book publishing since 2004. Two-thirds of publishers have retro-digitised their backlists. The report notes that 45 percent of publishers provide continuing access to e-books that have been purchased or held on subscription – 30 percent do so online and 15 percent charge an annual maintenance fee for the continued service. With the exception of posting to open access repositories, most publishers recognise authors' right to re-use their work in their own teaching and in future published works, says the report.
The full report provides a vast array of evidence about the current policies and practices of scholarly and academic book publishers. It is expected to act as a starting point for further research in mapping the practices of publishers as the e-book market continues to mature. It is hoped that it will provide clarity on a complex area which involves man more variables and permutations than is seen in the more homogenous online journal market.
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