My journey in the domain of publishing has ranged over decades and while I have worked tirelessly to add different feathers of accomplishments to the hat of my professional journey, this one holds a special place in my heart. As the Chair of the Data & Statistics Committee, a new vertical of the International Publishers Association (IPA), I am proud and beaming with happiness while presenting a milestone report that represents the hours of rigorous collaborative effort between IPA and Nielsen BookData. This report focuses on what can truly be called “the heartbeat of the global publishing industry” – a comprehensive evaluation of the present-day publishing scene in the nations that fall under the aegis of IPA. Yet, I truly believe that this report, achieved in the inaugural year of our committee’s operation, is more than just a compilation of data because it embodies the strategic vision of both these entities and sheds ample light on the significance of the publishing sector worldwide.

The publishing industry is a cornerstone when it comes to furthering cultural exchange, creativity, knowledge dissemination, and societal progress on a global level and it has held this position for over a few centuries now. In India, specifically, it holds a profound significance, which is why over the years, my team at IPA and I have spent countless hours curating reports about its nuanced nature and scope in India with the invaluable support of the Nielsen team. The journey of producing one coherent report after another, from what I believe, has definitely been instrumental in understanding the intricacies and evolving dynamics of this industry on a local level while also furnishing us with the tools required to take it to a global level this time. Looking back, by working on understanding the pulse of India’s publishing industry, the annual reports crafted in partnership with Nielsen, have now acted as the bedrock of what we proudly call – “International Publishing Data 2023.”

This report hitting the shelves is not only the by-product of a significant milestone achieved by the many stakeholders of the India publishing domain like earlier but also for the global fraternity. This belief of mine stems from the fact that right in its inaugural operational year, the Data & Statistics Committee has been able to fetch, compile, analyze, and visualize data from 76 countries to create this comprehensive report that transcends geographical boundaries. For this, I am also extremely grateful to the International Publishers Association for entrusting me with the leadership of this committee and spearheading the process of collaborating with a diverse body of driven professionals and industry experts to curate this report.

While looking at the current publishing landscape from a multifaceted lens that took into account key driving factors like educational infrastructure, the evolving nature of the publisher and retailer landscapes, the present and prospective opportunities for export and import, the regulatory frameworks, and the rapidly deepening digital penetration within IPA member countries, my knowledge of how each of these facets plays a pivotal role in shaping the destiny of the publishing realm was fortified by leaps and bounds.

Based on the same, across various countries, we have witnessed remarkable shifts and trends and were able to understand the global trends with far more clarity than before as 80% of the world’s populace resides within the member countries. From the United States to China, Japan to Germany, and the United Kingdom to India, our report encapsulates the essence of major international book markets, and the commonality in all these was the robust growth of digital publishing, the revival of independent publishing houses, and the increasing blend of technology with traditional publishing practices. Moreover, we saw that in the North American region, the United States emerged as the torchbearer in this domain with over 3 million ISBNs registered, while also being the home to the largest trade publishers, making it a dominant force in global book markets. In Europe, Germany reigns in literal supremacy with over 277,000 ISBNs to its name in the last year. This has helped Germans contribute to nearly 10% of global translations whereas the United Kingdom used the power of English as a lingua franca to drive mammoth global exports.

Similarly, in Africa, Nigeria left other regions behind with 14,392 ISBNs under its belt, but a considerable number of this was concentrated in the educational textbook domain, just like that in India where the reading population again is student-centric. This further signifies that developing economies are dedicated to fostering learning amongst their youth. Moreover, in Latin America and the Caribbean region, Brazil stood as the frontrunner with 179,042 ISBNs, while Argentina’s literary tradition left others behind because it has the densest concentration of bookstores per capita in the world situated in Buenos Aires. On the other hand, smaller countries like Iceland, Singapore, and Slovenia boasted of impressive new title productions per capita as the focus there was more on quality rather than quantity. Lastly, but quite importantly so, the importance of Fixed Book Price regimes in promoting fair markets is a key aspect we’ve explored across different continents.

This report and its production with the help of the World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO) and the Federation of European Publishers (FEP), who undertook data surveys, has been one of the defining moments for both me, the  Data & Statistics Committee, and the IPA. For it all, I would like to extend my heartfelt gratitude to the team of Nielsen BookData for their endearing support, dedication, and extensive expertise in helping us collate and analyze the massive volumes of data collected for this report. As we move forward into a new year, I look forward to spearheading more such innovative and informative projects while making the most of the challenges and opportunities that lie ahead for the Data & Statistics Committee.

I could not have been prouder, just like all other stakeholders involved, as this report is a stepping stone towards furthering our understanding of the publishing industry on a global level.