- As of 2022, the number of people employed within the US book publishing industry is 72,008.
- Since 2013, this number has grown by 4,621 employees.
- This represents a percentage increase in total of 6.86% over the period.
- Within the United States, the number of book publishing employees is growing by 513.44 per year on average.
- As of 2021, the number of people employed within the UK book publishing industry is 53,000.
- The total number of UK book publishing employees has grown by 11,000 since 2013.
- Based on available diversity data from the Big 5 publishers, the lowest percentage of white employees was at HarperCollins (62%).
- As of 2021, the average US salary for men in the industry was $80,000.
- To contrast this, the average US salary for women in the industry was $62,750.
- Salaries for men within the industry are 27.49% higher than those of women.
Book publishing employment statistics by country
US book publishing employee statistics
- The number of people employed within the US book publishing industry is 72,008 as of 2022.
- This number has grown by 4,621 since 2013.
- A percentage increase of 6.86% was given during the period.
- The number of US book publishing employees is growing by 513.44 per year on average.
- Employees within US print publishing subsectors decreased from 2016 to 2017, except book publishing which saw an increase of 12.25%.
- In 2018, this climbed even higher to 73,108 employees, a figure that is yet to be surpassed as of 2022.
- Conventions within the industry can make it difficult for younger employees to gain promotions into senior positions.
| Year | Book publishing employment statistics – US | Change |
| 2013 | 67,387 | – |
| 2014 | 65,189 | – 3.26% |
| 2015 | 64,520 | – 1.03% |
| 2016 | 64,085 | – 0.67% |
| 2017 | 71,935 | + 12.25% |
| 2018 | 73,108 | + 1.63% |
| 2019 | 67,822 | – 7.23% |
| 2020 | 68,177 | + 0.52% |
| 2021 | 72,000 | + 5.60% |
| 2022 | 72,008 | + 0.01% |
A graph to show the number of U.S book publishing employees per year is given below:
UK book publishing employee statistics
- The number of people employed within the UK book publishing industry was 53,000 as of 2021.
- Since 2013, this number has grown by 11,000.
- A percentage increase of 26.19% was given for the period.
- Employees in the UK book publishing industry are growing by 1,375 per year on average.
| Year | Book publishing employment statistics – UK | Change |
| 2013 | 42,000 | – |
| 2014 | 46,000 | + 9.52% |
| 2015 | 46,000 | = |
| 2016 | 39,000 | – 15.22% |
| 2017 | 42,000 | + 7.69% |
| 2018 | 43,000 | + 2.38% |
| 2019 | 50,000 | + 16.28% |
| 2020 | 47,000 | – 6.00% |
| 2021 | 53,000 | + 12.77% |
A graph to show the number of UK book publishing employees per year is given below:
Within the UK, major barriers to the publishing industry exist, due to socio-economic differences, as of 2021:
- 67% of industry respondents entered publishing from a professional background.
- Furthermore, almost 1/5 had been privately educated.
- However, just 15% of respondents had friends or family working in publishing before starting their career.
Book publishing employment statistics by publisher
For the Big 5 companies with available employee data:
- HarperCollins is the publisher with the lowest percentage of white employees, at 62%.
- Penguin Random House had the highest percentage of white employees, at 74%.
- Macmillan had the largest percentage of female employees at 68.5%.
- Penguin Random House had the lowest percentage of female employees, at 54%.
- A range of diversity initiatives have been implemented by the big five publishers since 2020.
- Primarily these have been focused on hiring Diversity, Equity & Inclusion (DEI) officers and using data to track employee information.
Hachette Book Group employee statistics – US
- 57% of Hachette Book Group employees are women, while 43% are men.
- 64.6% of employees within Hachette Book Group are white.
- In 2021, 34% of the company’s contracts with new contributors were with BIPOC (black, indigenous, and people of color) authors and illustrators.
- In 2019 this was 22%, which shows considerable growth over the two-year period.
A graph is given below to show the percentage of white employees for each publishing house (excluding Simon & Schuster):
HarperCollins employee statistics – US
- Women make up 57% of HarperCollins employees, with men representing 43%.
- 62% of employees at HarperCollins are white.
- Hispanic or Latin American employees make up 13%
- Black or African American employees make up 12%.
- The company partners with colleges to host “career days” for students from lesser represented schools.
- To encourage literacy, HarperCollins commits to supporting persons with print disabilities.
Macmillan employee statistics – US
- Women represent 68.5% of Macmillan’s employees, men represent 31.5%.
- 70.5% of Macmillan’s employees are white, as of 2021.
- Black or African American employees represent 9.8%.
- Hispanic or Latin American employees represent 9.7%.
- Asian employees represent 6.8%.
A graph is given below to show the percentage of female employees for each publishing house (excluding Simon & Schuster):
Simon & Schuster employee statistics – US
- More than 50% of Simon & Schuster’s new hires were white during 2021.
- Black or African American persons represented just under 20% of new hires.
- This number was the same for Hispanic or Latin American new hires.
- Simon & Schuster implement diversity councils which include employees from all divisions and levels.
- Their goal is to create a positive and inclusive working environment for all employees.
Penguin Random House employee statistics – US
- Women represent 54% of Penguin Random House’s employees, whereas men account for 46%.
- 74% of Penguin Random House’s employees are white.
- Between 2019 and 2021, 74.9% of books released by the publisher were authored, illustrated or translated by white US contributors.
- 6.8% of books had Asian contributors.
- 6% of books had Black or African American contributors.
- 5% of books had Hispanic or Latin American contributors.
Book publishing salary statistics
- Salaries within the industry have remained mostly static since 2013.
- As of 2021, the average salary for men in the industry was $80,000.
- To contrast this, the average salary for women in the industry was $62,750.
- This shows that salaries for men within the industry are 27.49% higher than those of women.
- Regarding pay rises, nearly 50% of industry respondents reported raises of 3% or less.
- The biggest problem noted for those under 30 within the industry was the issue of low pay.
- Career advancement difficulties ranked as the 2nd biggest issue for the age group, with increasing workloads 3rd.
A chart to show average salaries by gender within the book publishing industry is given below:
Book publishing employee diversity
- 95% of American fiction books published were written by white authors during the period of 1950 – 2018.
- 75% of publishing industry respondents in 2020 claimed that their employer had made efforts in the last year to increase diversity and equity.
- However, around just 50% of employees where DEI initiatives had been introduced believed it would result in significant change.
- There are a large number of black-owned publishing companies within the US and UK that make a significant effort to increase diversity throughout all roles and levels within the publishing industry.
Book publishing employee FAQ
What does a book publisher do?
- Book publishers work alongside authors to manage the production process of both fiction and non-fiction books.
- Additionally, book publishers look to gain press coverage of their authors’ work.
- Promotional events can play a huge part for publishers in increasing the exposure of publications.
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