Trade publishing is the most commercially focused category among all publishing segments. Trade books are targeted for the general consumer and trade books are sold through channels like bookstores, libraries and wholesalers. The target consumers of trade books range from children to adults and include a variety of works ranging from – fiction, nonfiction, hardcover or paperback books.
The trade book segment has been an early adopter of digital media. The recent pressures that publishers faced in the wake of the economic recession has stimulated the e-book market. In the US alone, trade wholesale electronic book sales amounted to USD 167 m according to the International Digital Publishing Forum (IDPF). The e-book segment is growing and has witnessed serious attempts by publishers to make this a strong revenue source.
Trade publishers have been outsourcing parts of their functions for over a decade, not just as means to tackle cost pressures, but also as a part of their business model . It is of immense interest to understand and analyze their sentiments with respect to outsourcing.
An insight into buyer sentiment will help us answer a few questions like:
- What are the challenges faced by the industry and how has the industry changed in terms of perceived challenges? - What are the satisfaction levels with outsourced/offshored services? - What are the areas that still need improvement? - What is the buyer proclivity to outsource? Will smaller companies outsource more? The following chapters delve deeper into all these aspects. - How has the industry shaped up in terms of functional areas outsourced? For example, is there more demand for content (implying higher value services) or production (low value high volume services)?
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