Business Library

Scope of This Guide:

Publishing and Printing, although closely related industries, are found in two different sectors of the NAICS code. Publishing (511) is considered part of information services (51) while Printing (323) is a sub-sector of Manufacturing (32).

This guide primarily contains information regarding the publishing of books, periodicals, and newspapers with some attention to electronic publishing: e-books, e-journals. The publishing industry, currently represented by over 65,000 different entities in the United States, continues to undergo consolidation. Trade book publishing, especially, is dominated by several large companies. Many newspapers in mid-size towns are now owned by regional and national companies. The Newspaper Preservation Act of 1970 largely exempted newspapers from antitrust suits. While the Broadcast/Newspaper Cross-Ownership Ban of 1975 barred one company from owning a daily newspaper and a television or radio station in the same area, the 2003 FCC ruling relaxed the restrictions, especially in larger markets.

Copyright and First Amendment rights continue as fundamental concerns in the publishing industry. Electronic publishing of magazines, newspapers, and databases have resulted in court rulings granting freelance writers ownership of the electronic rights to their work, requiring publishers to obtain permission before publishing online.

Industry Definitions: Description by NAICS Sector / Sub-Sector

Databases for Industry Research

Standard & Poor's NetAdvantage

• Industry surveys
• Bond ratings
• Company profiles and corporation records
• Stock, bond and fund research

• Industry sector analysis and research
• Industry trends and statistics
• Market research and trends
• Company profiles

• Real-time full-text investment research
• Reports cover companies and industries
• Over 750 contributing firms

• Aggregate data and analysis on industries
• Reports, articles, and company highlights

ABI/Inform (via ProQuest)

• Indexes over 1000 business periodicals
• Trade journals, business magazines, academic journals and other news sources
• Most articles full text

IBISWorld

• Over 700 full-text industry reports
• Over 700 US industry risk rating reports
• Information on over 8000 Publicly Traded Companies
• Hundreds of economic and demographic profiles

For additional database choices, see:

1. Database Descriptions
2. Database Comparison Chart

Selected U.S./World Industry Data & Company Sites

Selected Companies

Selected Print Publishers

Gannett

HarperCollins
Subsidiary of global media conglomerate News Corporation

Hearst Corporation

Knight-Ridder

McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.

Random House
Book publishing division of privately owned Bertelsmann AG

Reed Elsevier Group PLC

Simon & Schuster
Subsidiary of CBS Corp.

Thomson Corporation

Time Warner

Selected Software Publisher

SAP
American subsidiary of SAP AG

Publisher of Other print materials

American Greetings Corporation

Printing companies

R.R. Donnelley & Sons

Quebecor World Inc.
Subsidiary of Quebecor, Inc.

Quad/Graphics, Inc.

Resources for Identifying Companies in the Industry

Hoover’s Online

• Proprietary company overviews
• Industry breakdowns and explanations
• Competitor listings
• Financial synopses

Lexis/Nexis Corporate Affiliations
Business Library, Reference: HG4057.A219

• U.S. corporate directory
• Holding company directory

Mergent Online

• Information on 11,000 U.S. public companies and 17,000 non-U.S. Public companies
• Detailed, standardized financial statements
• Searchable by company name, industry codes, revenue levels, and other characteristics
• Comparative analysis among companies
• Access to SEC reports

Ward’s Business Directory of U.S. Private and Public Companies
Business Library, Reference: HG4057.A56

• Listings organized by NAICS code
• Ranks public and private companies by revenues/sales

Library Collections: Selected Reference Titles & Call Number Ranges

Selected Reference Titles

For additional materials, contact the Schreyer Business Library.

American Book Trade Directory
2nd floor Pattee, Arts & Humanities Library, Ready Reference: Z475.A5

• U.S. and Canadian booksellers

Books in Print, Publishers Volume
2nd floor Pattee, Arts & Humanities Library, Ready Reference: Z1215.P9722

• Over 77,000 publishers listed, including over 4800 foreign publishers
• Publishers by name
• Wholesalers and distributors by name and geography
• Inactive and out-of-business publisher index

Publishers, Distributors, & Wholesalers of the United States
2nd floor Pattee, Arts & Humanities Reference: Z475.P8601
(older edition in Business Library, Reference)

Association of American University Presses Directory
2nd floor Pattee, Arts & Humanities Reference: Z475.A88

• Publishing programs and personnel listings for University Presses who meet AAUP membership standards
• Subject area specialties

Who's Buying Information Products and Services
Business Library, Reference: HE7601.W46

• A consumer perspective on the Information Industry including print reading material

Call # Ranges

Rather than using call number ranges for browsing, check the CAT for materials using the following terms in a Library of Congress Subject heading search (change the dropdown option from "Keywords Anywhere" to "LC Subj heading"):

• Book Industries and Trade
• Newspaper Ownership
• Periodicals - Publishing
• Publishing
• Scholarly Publishing

Trade Associations: Selected Industry Associations Web Sites

Association of American Publishers

International Publishers Association

Magazine Publishers of America

Newspaper Association of America

• See also Associations Unlimited for association listings by subject or keyword.
• See also ABI/Inform for articles reporting trade association data.

Career Information: Selected Sources for Employment Information

Bookbuilders of Boston

• New England focus
• Links to other industry job postings
• links to specific publishers with opportunities

Bookbuilders West

• Covers western United States
• Focus on art, design and production

Vault Online Career Library (Currently, Vault Guides are facing problems opening in Adobe Reader 8.x. Please see here for using FREE Adobe Digital Editions to access these guides)

1. Vault provides full-text career and industry guides
2. Includes company profiles, occupation descriptions, and career-related articles

Career Guide to Industries (Bureau of Labor Statistics)
Business Library, Reference: HF5382.5.U5 C3162

Occupational Outlook Handbook  (Bureau of Labor Statistics)
CAT record for print copies
Business Library, Reference: HD8051.A623

Career Resources Page

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Reference Desk:
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