November 20, 2007 - The Industry Measure has released "Publishing Forecast 2008," its annual look at the trends and forces that will impact book, magazine, and catalog publishers in the next 12 months and beyond. "Publishing Forecast 2008" looks at how publishers fared in the past 12 months, how they expect to fare in the next 12 months, and what the most important issues and trends affecting their businesses are, both today and tomorrow. - The Industry Measure
NEWS -- For Immediate Distribution
THE INDUSTRY MEASURE PUBLISHING FORECAST 2008 EXAMINES THE PAST YEAR AND ANTICIPATES WHAT THE NEXT YEAR HAS IN STORE FOR BOOK, MAGAZINE, AND CATALOG PUBLISHERS
News Highlights...
-- in Summer 2007, 23% of all publishers (and 27% of magazine publishers) said business conditions for the past 12 months had been "excellent, better than the 12 months before that";
-- in Summer 2007, 27% of all publishers (and 33% of magazine publishers) expect business conditions in the next 12 months to be "excellent, better than they had been in the past 12 months";
-- in Summer 2007, 73% of all publishers surveyed cited "improving our Web site" as a sales opportunity-the highest this opportunity has ever reached in the four years we have been asking it;
-- The Industry Measure reports are available for online purchase at the Industry Measure eStore in PDF format (http://www.theindustrymeasure.com);
-- low-cost executive summaries are available for all Industry Measure reports.
NEW YORK - November 19, 2007 - The Industry Measure today released its special report, "Publishing Forecast 2008: The Industry Measure Perspective on the Challenges and Opportunities for the Publishing Industry in the Next 12 Months and Beyond," the Industry Measure's look at the year ahead for book, magazine, and catalog publishers. The 176-page report analyzes the prevailing economic environment, the current state of the publishing industry (drawing on U.S. government data, industry association data, as well as The Industry's Measure's own 12-year historical database of survey results), and details the major forces these highly dynamic markets will have to contend with in the next year. "Publishing Forecast 2008" also takes an in-depth look at the most recent Industry Measure survey results on such hot topics as multichannel marketing and publishing, online/remote proofing, digital and variable-data printing, the effects of the recent postal rate hike, and more. The report also presents The Industry Measure's latest investment projections for more than 100 equipment, hardware, and software categories.
"Publishing Forecast 2008" also provides a comprehensive look at current media trends, analyzing how new media technologies and platforms, and an increasing emphasis on multichannel publishing and "Web 2.0" technologies, are creating unprecedented challenges and opportunities for publishers of all stripes.
"Publishing Forecast 2008" complements The Industry Measure's "Creative Forecast" (to be published in December 2007), which covers the graphic design and production markets, and "Printing Forecast 2008" (to be published in January 2008), which covers the commercial printing and prepress markets. These three individual reports are also available in discounted "combination packs."
Industry Measure reports are available for online purchase at the Industry Measure eStore in PDF format (http://www.theindustrymeasure.com) or by contacting Vince Naselli at (732) 568-0316.
Researcher's Comments
"We keep hearing about Web 2.0, even as publishers have spent the better part of the past decade getting up to speed on Web 1.0. However, Web 2.0 is more than a buzzword; it refers to a sea change in the way users, readers, and consumers interact with content. While not every aspect of Web 2.0 is important to every publishing company, publishers ignore it at their peril."
According to the Report
-- in Summer 2007, the top three planned investment categories for all publishers were workstations, flat-panel LCD monitors, and desktop publishing software;
-- in Summer 2007, 41% of magazine publishers said that "e-mail promotions/e-letters" were becoming more important for the promotion of their products;
-- in Summer 2007, 38% of all publishers said that their use of online proofing for final approval has been increasing in the past 12 months.
Availability...
The Industry Measure report,"Publishing Forecast 2008: The Industry Measure Perspective on the Challenges and Opportunities for the Publishing Industry in the Next 12 Months and Beyond," is available for purchase by visiting the secure Industry Measure eStore online at www.theindustrymeasure.com or by phone at 866-873-6310. The price for the 176-page report is $999. Industry Measure eStore customers can download this report in PDF Acrobat format immediately after purchase.