While the worst of the pandemic is hopefully in the rearview mirror, its effects continue to be felt across the publishing industry, for good and ill. While sales have benefited greatly, costs have risen, and it’s more challenging than ever to print books, magazines, and newspapers due to scarce supplies. Workers, too, have changed. Unionizing is on the rise, and the U.S. government is fighting a landmark case against big publishers to protect authors’ incomes. The pre-2020 market feels like a very distant past.
SUPPLY CHAIN WOES PLAGUE BOOK AND MAGAZINE PUBLISHING
Book printing schedules are taking twice as long as they used to, and costs have risen by 30 percent since 2020 for printing, paper, and transportation. Publishers have begun raising book prices accordingly. Manufacturing experts say there will not be enough paper capacity to meet demand for years. The problem started before the pandemic, as paper mills and printers consolidated and turned to making more profitable products, such as Amazon shipping boxes. Inflation and tightness in the labor market have only made things worse.
In one of the lighter-hearted moments of supply chain mishaps, the publication of two cookbooks was post-poned after the books fell off a cargo ship from China and were lost at sea. One of the authors joked, “It’s all
