How big is the global publishing industry? What are the largest players in international publishing? And how compare trade publishing with educational or scientific (STM) publishing? What is the role of emerging markets (e.g. the BRIC countries, Brazil, Russia, India, China)?

A number of – continually updated – reports allow global, as well as regional, perspectives, and provide elements to that one question spanning, like an umbrella, over it all:

What is the role, and the value, of the book in the global knowledge economy?

The Global Map of Publishing Markets is the first visual representation of publishing around the world by the numbers. The map demonstrates the way that books and the industry behind them reflect access to knowledge and to the opportunity to dive into the imaginary worlds brought to life by written words—where books are freely available and where books are hidden behind scores of cultural, social, or economic obstacles. The map and the data behind it provide a better understanding of the opportunities, as well as the challenges, in making reading and access to books universal.
This map is part of a larger research effort initiated by the Interntional Publishers Association (IPA) and additionally co-sponsored by the London Book Fair and BookExpo America.
Download the map, a table on the 20 largest publishing markets worldwide and a description on the approach below.

Publishing in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) is a young industry, but with a significant potential to develop into a sector of strategic relevance domestically and a hub in the Gulf region’s development into a knowledge-driven society and economy in accordance with the standard practices and ambitions of the twenty-first century.

Imports of reading materials in the English language predominate those in Arabic at an estimated ratio of 65 to 35 per cent, and the overall market is worth an estimated 260 million USD, reflecting the reading practices of an audience that generally lives in a multilingual and multifaceted cultural environment. Furthermore, various indicators point to growth in the importance of Arabic publications.

These are key findings of a in depth report on piublishing in the UAE which we researched together with Nasser Jarrous on behalf of the Emirates Publishers Assotiation (EPA).

Meet us for its presentation in Paris or at the Frankfurt Book Fair.

The complete report can be downloaded from the link below.

Global Publishing Markets aims at building an industry reference by country and region, mapping market size, title production as well as related key indicators. The survey has been commissioned by the International Publishers Association) together with the London Book Fair and BookExpo America.

Global Publishing Markets has been introduced first at the London Book Fair 2011, and will be continued and extended in 2012. The aim is to develop, over time, a solid reference with regard to publishing and the role (and value) of the book in the global knowledge economy.

A preliminary version of the report 2012 can be downloaded here below.

The ambition of the survey is to continuously add data on markets as they become available, but also to encourage the collection of data and provide benchmarks and best practices with regard to standardizing key indicators, and clarifying issues related to the compatibility of data on a global scale.

To contribute data and insights to this report, please use the online questionnaire here:
https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/Global-Publishing

Next releases to “Global Publishing Markets” are due for the London Book Fair (April 2012) and BookExpo America (June 2012).

In 2011, the International Publishers Association (IPA) has launched an effort to collect data and map "Global Publishing Markets", and we are proud to have been appointed to coordinate the required research and analysis.

The project has been introduced for the first time at the London Book Fair 2011, and further results will be presented at the London Book Fair on Monday, April 16, 2012, at 10 to 11 am, in Earls Court, (level 1) Thames Room, as well as at BookExpo America, in New York (June 4 to 7, 2012 - exact date to be announced).

For the collection of data, we developed a detailed questionnaire, and we invite knowledgable members of the international book community to share their insights.

This questionnaire has been developed with a specific focus on publishing markets in Sub-Saharian Africa, in the Arab World, but also in Asia and Latin America.

For most parts of these regions, no solid data are available. We therefore call on publishers, retailers, academics, librarians, trade media and other knowledgable experts to add their insights, in the form of estimates, and even anecdotal evidence.

At this point, we are primarily interested in information that allows to assess
-- (domestic) publishers revenues (per country);
-- imports (and exports) of books and related published materials (e.g. educational);
-- the size of a country's domestic book production (number of new titles & reeditions per year);
-- the overall size of a country's book market (domestic production & imports) at consumer prizes.

The questionnaire is available online here:
https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/Global-Publishing

To receive the questionnaire as an excel form, please write to us via the contact form on top of this page.

Down below, you find the IPA brochure on the Global Publishing Markets effort.