SXWS

In the past decade or so, the publishing industry has been confronted with powerful new competitors. For example, mountains of information and entertainment now stream into readers’ homes as a result of the emergence of the Internet and the explosive expansion of cable television. Access has become easy and virtually universal because it leapfrogs boundaries. In the process, it’s changed the culture.
Simultaneously, the book-publishing industry has gone through massive changes. It has consolidated dramatically. Imprints that were formerly rivals are now sister companies and partners. Standardized, corporate organizational practices have replaced looser, more hands—on, family-oriented operations. Book publishing has also benefited from waves of technical innovations that have impacted virtually every aspect of the business, including how books are printed, distributed, and sold.
Picture today’s book-publishing industry as a sharply pointed triangle. The narrow top of the triangle contains a handful of players, while the bottom portion is densely packed. As the triangle rises, the mass of publishing companies thins.

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