Current Book Printing and Shipping Trends 2021
The COVID-19 pandemic has affected many industries, and the publishing industry is no exception. The bright side for publishing is that during the pandemic, book sales have increased. Books offer readers entertainment and an escape from the world, which has increased demand.
Although book sales have increased, that doesn’t mean the industry hasn’t had to adapt. For example, the industry has encountered supply chain issues that pushed back release dates for books and impacted book printing and shipping.
So, are these supply chain issues fixed, and how is the industry changing as a result? Read on learn about book trends of 2021, and stay ahead of the curve.
Book Printing Trends
Demand for eBooks and audiobooks has continued to grow, but it hasn’t overtaken the sale of physical books. Digital media hasn’t made physical books obsolete. That’s because most people prefer physical books over their digital counterparts.
Rise of Self Publishing
Self-publishing allows authors to publish their books themselves without going through a publisher. With the consolidation of the big five publishers, more indie authors publish their books digitally on sites like Amazon. Even traditionally published authors are self-publishing since it offers better pay and more control.
With readers still wanting physical books, self-published authors can leverage print on demand to sell physical books. A book printing service can help you affordably print books to get a book to a broader audience.
Print on Demand Is Changing the Publishing Industry
With today’s digital printing technologies, gone are the days you have to print thousands of books for book printing to be affordable. With print on demand, one copy of a book can be produced as efficiently as one thousand.
Print on demand uses digital presses to print shorter runs of books from 1 to 500 copies. This type of printing can print books when ordered rather than keep them in a warehouse. This factor lowers inventory costs and allows bookstores to buy books when needed rather than keep them on hand.
Print on demand allows publishers to serve client needs better. Books can be kept in print for a longer amount of time. Print on demand can help indie publishers compete with the big publishing companies by focusing their printing and marketing efforts to grow their niche.
Book Shipping Trends
With the toilet paper shortage causing paper shortages, the pandemic has lead to higher printing costs. And, lockdowns made it difficult for books to ship from overseas to the US market. So, has the publishing industry recovered from these issues?
Supply Chain Is Still Struggling
Print publishers are still feeling the effects of the shortage of materials in 2021. Ports have also been facing backups on processing materials. Each of these has increased printing costs and shipping times, causing delays.
With these challenges, publishers have been rethinking their supply chains. Many publishers rely on only a few printing companies that operate overseas, meaning books have to ship long distances.
To meet demand, more publishers have been factoring in delays into their deadlines. They are also looking to increases efficiency in production. With the rising popularity of print on demand, IT solutions need to connect orders with printers better, so books ship on time.
Local printers benefit from these changes in supply chains as publishers turn to them to publish books. Local publishers can leverage print on demand and ship shorter distances to reduce costs.
Publishers Are Adapting to the New Status Quo
The publishing industry is adapting well to the changes the COVID pandemic has caused. New trends in book printing and shipping are becoming the norm to meet readers’ desire for print books better. You can expect trends like print on demand and new supply chain changes to continue.
Stay up to date with the latest publishing industry trends on the PRC Book Printing blog.
