Largest Book Manufacturers -- Best Sellers List

Banta's Mead agrees. "State-specific is a very strong trend. A lot of states want specific content for books they've adopted," he says. This move toward textbook versioning means higher costs for publishers, and more work, but also more revenue for printers.

Future Looks Brighter

While 2003 saw a lag in overall adoption of books on statewide levels, due to unusually large budget deficits that caused education funding cutbacks even in some states where education is usually untouchable, Mead says 2004 is looking up. "We've seen a fairly significant resurgence. Overall, revenues for the Book Group were up 8 percent (in the first quarter)," he says. While this figure represents both trade and education, Mead says that the increase is largely in the education sector.