Book Industry Study Group, Inc.

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The Book Industry Study Group, Inc. (BISG) is the U.S. publishing industry’s leading trade association for policy, standards and research. The mission of BISG is to create a more informed, empowered, and efficient book industry supply chain. Membership consists of publishers, manufacturers, suppliers, wholesalers, retailers, librarians, and others engaged in the business of print and electronic media. For 30 years, BISG has provided a forum for all industry professionals to come together and efficiently address issues and concerns to advance the book community.

[edit] History

The Book Industry Study Group, Inc. (BISG) saw its beginning at the annual conference of the Book Manufacturers Institute in November 1975. Here, a few publishers and manufacturers met informally with representatives of several trade associations to discuss the urgent need to improve the industry's research capability. Once begun, this small group invited others to join in sponsoring a seminal study of book industry information needs on which a future program could be based. BISG was incorporated as a not-for-profit corporation in February 1976 and its Report on Book Industry Information Needs was completed and published in April 1976. The report confirmed the feasibility of a program of major research studies by and about the industry.

BISG is unique. As an organization it is concerned with the publishing industry as a whole and its membership consists of companies from all sectors of the industry. Trade and professional associations such as the Association of American Publishers, the American Booksellers Association, the Independent Book Publishers Association and the Evangelical Christian Publishers Association have all been long standing active members of BISG.

Over the years BISG has published many research reports in response to the needs of its members. Among these are studies of paper availability, book distribution, elementary/high school adoptions, printing capacity cycles, book sales through non-traditional book markets, consumer book buying habits and an informational guide to the top 50 relevant corporate and community sponsored education programs. In conjunction with other organizations, BISG has produced reports on African-American book buyers, small and independent book publishers, and the state of used book sales in the U.S.

Through BISAC (Book Industry Standards and Communications), BISG has been on the cutting edge of technological advances with the development of bar code technology standards and electronic business communications formats. BISAC has been instrumental in developing many of the electronic standards that have reduced operating costs for members of the industry. BISAC Subject Codes, for example, are a mainstay in the industry and required for participation in many databases.

[edit] Committees

A wide array of committees, interest groups, and taskforces provide an ongoing platform for the advancement of book industry issues and standards within BISG. These committees are actively managed by BISG members and meet regularly (usually on a bi-monthly basis).

BISG Committees: ISBN-13 Taskforce, Distribution Executives Interest Group, EAN Transition Taskforce, Manufactures Executive Interest Group, Publications Committee, Research Committee

BISAC Committees: BISAC Subject Codes Committee, Digital Sales Reporting Committee, Identification Committee, Machine Readable Coding (MRC), Metadata Committee, Publisher/Manufacturer EDI Message, Rights Committee, Supply Chain EDI Committee