Book exports rose 7.2%, to $974.0 million, in the first half of 2007, according to estimates from the U.S. Department of Commerce. Shipments to India shot up the most in the period, to $22 million, making the fast-growing country the seventh largest market for books at the midway point of 2007. The increase in exports to India was led by shipments of professional books (up 214%) and paperbacks (ahead 171%).
Among the other major markets, exports to Mexico registered a solid gain of 16%, moving it into fourth place, ahead of Japan, where exports fell 13.1% in the first half of the year. Book exports to Japan have declined steadily after peaking at $129 million for the full year in 2001. Exports to the top three markets—Canada, the U.K. and Australia—increased moderately in the period.
Exports of professional books rose 12.5% in the first six months, to $247.3 million, keeping the segment the largest export category; textbook exports, the second biggest segment, declined 4.2%, to $192.0 million. Hardcover exports were off 8.9% in the period, to $67.8 million, while paperback exports rose 7.9%, to $116.3 million.
Book imports, which include a mix of books manufuactured abroad as well as foreign titles shipped to the U.S. for sale, rose 7.8% in the January—June period, with imports from China up 20.3%, to $344.0 million. With an increase of 22%, to $165.7 million, the U.K. moved ahead of Canada as the second largest exporter of books to the U.S. Canadian imports fell 1.3%.
Country | 2006 | 2007 | % Change |
SOURCE: U.S. COMMERCE DEPARTMENT | |||
Canada | $415.4 | $427.6 | 2.9% |
U.K. | 141.4 | 142.3 | 0.9 |
Australia | 51.0 | 54.0 | 6.1 |
Mexico | 36.7 | 42.6 | 16.0 |
Japan | 43.3 | 37.6 | -13.1 |
Singapore | 23.7 | 25.1 | 5.9 |
India | 8.9 | 22.0 | 146.0 |
S. Korea | 18.5 | 21.5 | 16.5 |
Germany | 20.0 | 20.9 | 4.6 |
China | 10.8 | 12.4 | 15.4 |
Brazil | 5.6 | 12.4 | 121.6 |
Philippines | 8.8 | 9.1 | 2.8 |
South Africa | 10.6 | 8.8 | -17.3 |
Hong Kong | 7.9 | 8.6 | 9.0 |
Taiwan | 7.4 | 6.8 | -8.6 |
Total, top 15 | 809.7 | 851.7 | 5.2 |
Total, world | 908.6 | 974.0 | 7.2 |