Social Science and Humanities Publishing 2009-2010

With the emergence of new technologies and the transition to digital delivery, professional publishers rely on Simba Information research to understand the future of their market and to guide their strategies. For this newest title to Simba's research catalog, Social Science and Humanities Publishing 2009-2010 analyzes the market size and trends shaping this segment of the industry.

This all-new intelligence provides a comprehensive, analytical look at the overall landscape of the social science and humanities publishing market, including:

• Simba’s exclusive analysis of market size and structure;
• Perspective on the demand for social science and humanities products;
• Revenue and market share rankings of leading publishers;
• Detailed profiles of leading Social Science and Humanities publishers worldwide, including McGraw-Hill, Oxford University Press, John Wiley & Sons, Holtzbrinck and Cambridge University Press; and
• Simba’s estimates for market growth in 2009.

The market for each segment (social science publishing and humanities publishing) is divided into the following content delivery channels: books, journals, online services (including abstracting and indexing), newsletters/looseleafs/directories and other, a category that includes audio, video and CD-ROM information.

Stamford, CT-Jan. 22, 2010-Faced with challenges from disruptive technologies, an uncertain future for its traditional publishing model and a titanic global recession, the market for social science and humanities publishing has still managed to grow, according to Social Science and Humanities Publishing 2009-2010, the latest strategic market report from Simba Information, a leading media industry forecast and analysis firm.

The global social science and humanities publishing market grew total sales 1.6% to $2.4 billion in 2009. Poor economic conditions in the U.S. hurt book sales and put publishers’ recurring journal subscription revenue in question as library budgets tighten.

Social science and humanities publishers often take a back seat to the scientific, technical and medical (STM) publishing sector because revenue is tied to scholarly monographs with niche appeal and journals that don’t attract the commercial interest of their STM counterparts. Still many small commercial publishers specializing in social science and humanities sustain levels of profit sufficient to satisfy their investors.

These presses confront substantial challenges, but also encounter significant opportunities. Advanced software and techniques for composition, cheaper digitization and file storage mechanisms, sophisticated online content management systems, and short-run and print-on-demand services all help presses lower costs for new publications and give renewed life to their backlist titles. Similarly, the growth of the Web, powerful discovery tools such as Google and the other search engines, and the opening of new distribution channels such as Amazon.com have made it possible to reach new markets beyond university libraries.

To exploit these opportunities, social science and humanities publishers must make strategic investments in existing and emerging forms of publication, continuously review their more specialized processes and make technical and other investments wherever possible to reduce costs. In addition, presses need to form strategic alliances among themselves to strengthen and improve the publishing services they provide to the scholarly community.

This report provides an overview and financial outlook for the global social science and humanities publishing markets based on specific research and analysis of the leading competitors’ performance. This research was conducted in conjunction with a larger study of the overall market for professional publishing.

The market for social sciences and the market humanities are divided into four content delivery channels: books, journals, online services (including abstracting and indexing) and other, a category that includes audio, video and CD-ROM information.

For more information visit www.simbainformation.com or contact Dan Strempel at 203-325-8193 x103.

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Simba Information is widely recognized as the leading authority for market intelligence in the media and publishing industry. Simba's extensive information network delivers top quality, independent perspective on the people, events and alliances shaping the media and information industry. Simba provides consulting and reports that offer key decision-makers at more than 15,000 client companies around the globe with timely analysis, exclusive statistics and proprietary industry forecasts. For more information, please visit www.simbainformation.com.