Status of publishing markets abroad?

June 14, 2005 7:04 PM

Where can I find statistics showing how many books (titles and/or copies) are produced and purchased in a given country each year?

To be specific, I'm trying to find out the status of the publishing industry in a particular country (it happens to be Israel) -- is it a good market for publishers, or not? I figured these kind of statistics would be a good indicator, especially if they're compiled on a yearly basis. Any ideas?

posted by greatgefilte to Media & Arts (2 answers total)

You might try googling for a term/phrase like 'Israeli publishing association'; also check out the staff directory at Editor & Publisher magazine www.editorandpublisher.com/ and see if there's a contact there who could at least point you in the right direction
posted by Fozzie at 11:31 PM on June 14, 2005

You could also check out the ILMP (International Literary Market Place) available at your library both in dead tree form and as a website. They have a site www.literarymarketplace.com, but I don't think you can do much without a logon.

I would also suggest getting in touch with some of the literary agents who work in Israel. Some of them have sites or are listed on smaller US publisher's site as sub-agents. I know one of the more trusted agencies is the I. Pikarski Agency in Tel Aviv.
posted by rodz at 6:13 AM on June 15, 2005