Book Printing Outlook : E-Readers Equal E-rosion?

"Publishers are being more cautious of how they handle their inventories," he points out. "In the past six months, we've had a surge of customers that are small publishers or self-publishers. The trade market seems to be more diffused."

Upton believes e-books are making publishers wary of inventory levels, as performers such as Amazon appear to be garnering share from the traditional brick-and-mortar outlets. Similarly, the major publishing houses are being even more particular in taking on new authors, which is helping to fuel the self-publishing arena, according to Upton.