Book Printing Outlook: Addressing Evolving Needs

How bright is the future for books? Take a look at who's reading. The children's/young adult space ranked as the fastest-growing category in publishing during 2011, raking in a cool $2.78 billion. Religion showed strong growth as well, according to the study.

It would be premature to dig the grave of printed books, the electronic growth notwithstanding. Even with the demise of the Borders chain, brick-and-mortar retailers remained the No. 1 sales distribution channel for publishers in 2011, boasting net revenue of $8.59 billion. Publishers' revenue from direct-to-consumer sales nearly doubled, eclipsing $1 billion for the first time, according to BookStats.