- Special Markets Commentary -

June 12, 2010 (FinancialWire) (Investrend Forums Syndicate) (Via ValueNotes) (Go to http://www.financialwire.net/?s=cmmtry for all of today’s commentaries.) — In the outsourcing industry, India has been the frontrunner among the preferred destinations. Our survey among publishers ratifies this further. Out of a survey of over 240+ publishing service buyers, responses have indicated that India is followed by the US when it comes to publishing outsourcing, and the Philippines is the second most preferred ‘offshore destination' after India. However, there are differences in perceptions regarding preferred outsourcing destinations by different buyer geographies. We looked at preferences by publishing service buyer locations and broke it down as per preferred outsourcing destinations.

While a significant proportion of US-based publishing service buyers prefer India, the choices are quite diverse. From sourcing within the country to offshoring to Philippines, buyers seem spoilt for choices where outsourcing destinations are concerned. India is also a preferred destination for buyers in Europe and Asia, and the Philippines a distant second.

Some more differences are highlighted when we talk of segments within the publishing industry. Magazine publishers have a tilt towards Philippines, apart from India; educational segment has a preference for India and the US. India, Philippines and the US remain preferred sourcing destinations for buyers across segments. Our survey revealed that the preference of an outsourcing destination is highly dependent on the kind of work that is being outsourced. For example, India remains at the forefront of pre-press activities while China is established as a printing hub. Philippines on the other hand has a culture akin to that of the US and thus favorable for work that requires cultural nuances. While there are no drastic differences in where buyers source their work from, STM/Academic publishing segment has a stronger preference for India.

Interestingly, Indian publishing outsourcing vendors have competition not just in its traditional rival Philippines, but in the US also. Developing mutually beneficially partnerships with US-based vendors may be one way to tilt buyer  preference more strongly towards India.

Trade publishing is the most commercially focused category among all publishing industry segments. Trade books are targeted for the general consumer and are sold through channels like bookstores, libraries and wholesalers.  The target consumers of trade books range from children to adults and include a variety of works ranging from fiction and nonfiction with hardcover or paperback books.

It is difficult to estimate the exact contribution of trade publishing to the overall publishing industry. A significant portion of 'other' in the above exhibit is contributed by trade publishing. We estimate that the size of trade publishing industry (English language) could be anywhere between USD 30 to USD 45 billion in 2008.

The trade publishing segment has been an early adopter of the digital media. The pressures that publishers faced in the wake of economic recession stimulated the e-book market. In the US alone, trade wholesale electronic book sales amounted to USD 167 m according to the International Digital Publishing Forum (IDPF). The e-book segment is growing and has witnessed serious attempts by publishers to make it a strong revenue source.

Outsourcing by Trade Publishers

Trade publishers have been outsourcing parts of their functions for over a decade, not just as means to tackle cost pressures, but also as part of their business model. The exhibit below represents the responses of respondents that have rated the challenges they face in their publishing business vis-à-vis effective solution/mitigation via outsourcing. This is based on a comprehensive survey of publishers conducted recently by us.

The challenge to adapt to new technology can be very effectively dealt with by outsourcing, as indicated by the responses. Trade publishers also consider outsourcing to be highly effective to address lack of in-house capability. Addressing new geographies is also considered to be a constraint that outsourcing can mitigate very effectively.

Cost and margin pressures can be successfully mitigated by outsourcing, yet not all respondents believe so. Diversifying into new areas of business and providing value-addition within current offerings is another area where outsourcing is yet to be viewed as a complete solution.

In spite of the pressures, current level of servicing does not offer publishers a strong reason to outsource. Outsourcing for cost arbitrage and value-addition has not been successfully mitigated while outsourcing. Interestingly, a small percentage of respondents feel that outsourcing cannot mitigate any challenges.

Source: ValueNotes sourcing analytics (http://www.sourcingnotes.com/content/view/619/1/).

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