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Weekly News Digest
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July 11, 2011 — In addition to this week's NewsBreaks article and the monthly NewsLink Spotlight, Information Today, Inc. (ITI) offers Weekly News Digests that feature recent product news and company announcements. Watch for additional coverage to appear in the next print issue of Information Today.
CLICK HERE to view more Weekly News Digest items.
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New Report on Book Consumer Demographics and Buying Behaviors
R.R. Bowker and Publishers Weekly released the 2010-2011 U.S. Book Consumer Demographics & Buying Behaviors Annual Review. A weakened economy, declining numbers of book buyers and the acceleration of ebooks seemingly combined to make 2010 one of the most challenging ever for the U.S. book industry.“The year 2010 saw a perfect storm of challenges to the U.S. book market, as a number of inter-related trends continued to impact the market,” said Kelly Gallagher, vice president of publishing services for Bowker. “Now more than ever, this report’s data about the American book consumer can help publishers, retailers, and others navigate these challenging times by arming them with information.” The 2010-11 Annual Review identifies how the economy and shifting industry dynamics combined to significantly alter the way consumers bought books in 2010. Among the most profound impacts: For the first time ever, online retailers accounted for more units purchased and spending on books than the national bookstore chains, making ecommerce the single largest book-buying channel. The report also explores how books are competing with other forms of entertainment for the consumer dollar. While steady declines were seen in book buying in the first three quarters of 2010, purchases bounced back in the fourth quarter, with 51% of book buyers saying the economy had no impact on their book buying—the highest percentage in 2 years. Among book buyers, reading books continues to place in the top three forms of media entertainment (along with communicating online through email or IM and surfing the web). However, reading as a pastime continues to decline: the percentage of book buyers who reported reading a book at least once a week fell to 57%, down from 59% in 2009. 2010-11 U.S. Book Consumer Demographics and Buying Behaviors Annual Review includes more than 100 pages of data and analysis including a summary of insights followed by demographic data on America’s book buyers, what types of books they buy and where they buy them, along with insight into what motivates their purchases. The changing nature of format and the impact of ebooks are explored by defining the demographics of the ebook buyer. The report also includes a detailed look at book production statistics. Information was gathered through PubTrack Consumer’s nationally representative annual panel of nearly 40,000 U.S. book-buying men, women, and teens. The 2010 panel was built by monthly recruiting of book buyers who completed surveys about their book purchasing behavior during the previous month. The report is available now by visiting http://www.bookconsumer.com. Pricing starts at $999 for a single-use PDF or print copy. Members of the news media can purchase at a 30% discount. Print copies are being manufactured on demand by Ingram Content Group’s Lightning Source. Source: R.R. Bowker
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Brandi Scardilli
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