Self-publishing ‘beginning to mature’, according to Bowker report

9 October 2014 Books+Publishing

In an analysis of US ISBN data, Bowker has revealed that 458,564 self-published titles were published in 2013, up 17% from 2012 and 437% from 2008. The growth is due entirely to an increase in self-published print books, which rose 29% to 302,622, while self-published ebooks declined 2% to 155,942. However, the report also does not include ebooks published through Kindle Direct Publishing, which do not need an ISBN. ‘Our general conclusion is that self-publishing is beginning to mature,’ said Bowker director of identifier services Beat Barblan, referring to an 8% increase in the number of ISBNs registered by small publishers, defined as publishers that register fewer than 10 ISBNs in a year. ‘The market is stabilizing as the trend of self-publisher as business-owner, rather than writer only, continues.’ The report also found that more than 75% of self-published titles with ISBNs were published through three companies: Smashwords, Amazon’s CreateSpace and Lulu. Read Bowker’s report on self-publishing here.

Category: International news