Book Publishers

The 2,100 Book publishers in the US perform design, editing, and marketing activities necessary for producing and distributing books in print, electronic, or audio form. Book categories include the Trade sector, learning and classroom materials for K-12 education, Higher Education books and materials, and professional, technical or scholarly journals. The Trade sector can be broken into Adult Fiction, Adult Non-Fiction, Juvenile Fiction, Juvenile Non-Fiction, and Religion subcategories.

Growth of Self-Publishing

Ten years ago, authors were dependent on book publishers to reach readers, but today authors have the option of self-publishing their work in either eBook or printed formats.

Competition from Alternative Media

Books compete with other forms of entertainment for consumers’ time and dollars.

Sep 11, 2026 - Authors Push Back On Publisher And Agent Claims In Anthropic Settlement

• Some authors say that publishers seem to be claiming more than their fair share of payments from AI firm Anthropic’s $1.5 billion settlement of a 2025 copyright class action suit, according to Tech Crunch. Victoria Strauss, author and the co-founder of Writer Beware blog wrote that she’s been receiving author complaints that fall into two broad categories: one where publishers are seeking payment from Anthropic for works that they no longer have a legitimate claim on (because the rights have reverted), and another where publishers are seeking a full 100% payment when they’re only entitled to 50%. Authors Guild CEO Mary Rasenberger told The New York Times that she doesn’t see this as "a grab by the publishers." She argued that this is the predictable result of bad recordkeeping and a confusing settlement process.
• Self-publishing is now a thriving industry that is a significant competitor for traditional publishers, according to industry news site The Bookseller. The global self-publishing market reached $1.85 billion in 2024 and is predicted to reach $6.16 billion by 2033. There were more than 2.6 million self-published titles with ISBNs compared with a little more than 563,000 traditionally published titles in 2023. A significant part of what’s driving that shift isn’t just a greater volume of indie authors, however, but a small cohort that has mastered distribution and promotion, specifically in areas such as subscription boxes (bundles of books mailed to subscribers), platform algorithms, and direct-to-fan marketing.
• 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.
• Book publishing industry employment and wages for nonsupervisory employees decreased slightly during the first seven months of 2026, according to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics. Book directory and mailing list and other publisher industry revenue decreased 0.7% year over year and 7.5% month over month during the fourth quarter of 2025, according to the US Census Bureau.

Industry size & Structure

The average book publisher operates a single location, has 34 employees, and generates about $14 million in annual revenue.

• The US book publishing industry consists of about 2,100 firms that employ 72,470 workers and generate $29.7 billion in annual revenue.
• The US book publishing industry sells 2-3 billion units annually, according to the Association of American Publishers.
• The industry consists of many small publishers (63% of establishments have less than five employees) but is concentrated, as the largest 20 firms represent 71% of industry revenue.
• The "Big Five" US trade book publishers are Hatchette Book Group (part of French media company, Lagardere), HarperCollins (a subsidiary of News Corp.), MacMillan Publishers (part of Germany's Holtzbrinck Publishing Group), Penguin Random House (jointly-owned by Germany's Bertelsmann) and Simon and Schuster (owned by CBS Corporation).
• Large textbook publishers include Pearson, Cengage, McGraw-Hill Education, Scholastic, and Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.
• Large publishers of professional and technical books include RELX Group (formerly Reed Elsevier, UK-based) and Thompson Reuters.