Book Publishers NAICS 513130

Jul 11, 2025 - Publishers Join Legal Actions Against Book Banning

• Some book publishers are joining lawsuits filed to overturn laws that enable the removal of books from schools and libraries. Six major book publishers have joined parents and authors in a lawsuit filed against Florida state and school district officials over the state’s restriction of any material with “sexual content" without consideration for the work’s literary value. Plaintiffs argue this has led to the removal of classic works by Leo Tolstoy and Aldous Huxley, among others. The suit argues the restrictions are a violation of the First Amendment, saying, “The right to speak and the right to read are inextricably intertwined. Authors have the right to communicate their ideas to students without undue interference from the government. Students have a corresponding right to receive those ideas.” Challenges have also been mounted by coalitions of parents, authors, and publishers in Iowa and in Idaho, according to Forbes.
• Publishers are printing fewer nonfiction paperbacks, according to Jeffrey Trachtenberg, a reporter for the Wall Street Journal who covers book publishing and media. New adult nonfiction paperback titles have decreased 42% in the past five years, primarily because new books are typically published first in hardcover, e-book, and audiobook format. Consumers who don’t want to pay $32 for a new nonfiction hardcover book can immediately buy the $15 e-book or an audiobook. Audiobooks are the fastest-growing segment of book publishing, according to Trachtenberg.

• The comic book and periodical industry is experiencing consolidation of small companies and acquisition of large companies by even larger, multi-genre publishers, according to information sector news site Clownfish TV. Boom! Studios recently sold itself to Penguin Random House, for example, and Dark Horse sold to Embracer Group in 2021. Many small comic book firms struggle financially, leading to mergers and to creators seeking movie and animation deals for financial success, according to Clownfish TV. Some larger comic book companies were started with the intention of selling them to major publishing firms. The comic book industry is facing distribution changes and low sales, but there is still high demand for certain products, according to Clownfish TV.
• Book publishing industry employment decreased slightly while wages for nonsupervisory employees increased slightly during the first five months of 2025, according to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics. Personal consumption expenditures, an indicator of book sales, decreased moderately during the first two months of 2025, according to the US Bureau of Economic Analysis.