28 July 2020
2019 saw the invoiced value of combined UK publisher sales of academic and professional books and journals rise by 1.3%, to nearly £3.3bn – 25.8% higher than in 2015.
Digital is driving this growth in academic publishing, with a 4.2% rise in digital sales revenue in 2019 slightly outweighing a 4.6% print sales decrease and digital formats accounting for 70% of total invoiced value in 2019.
The figures also show just how integral exports are to academic publishing, accounting for a huge 72-73% of the total invoiced value of academic and professional books and journals combined.
Exports for these products were 0.9% higher in 2019 than 2018, while home sales income grew a positive 2.6%. The US, Germany and China are the countries with the largest export sales for academic and professional books.
Specifically on the books side, there was a 2.6% fall in invoiced value to £1.1bn, driven by a 4.6% drop in the value of printed book sales and despite a 2.7% rise in digital sales. This dip is less pronounced than in 2018 but still of concern.
More on the PA’s blog here