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Nearly One in Two Americans Read a Book Last Year, According to Bowker's 2008 PubTrack Consumer Survey
In first of regular “Bowker Book Facts” data releases, company reveals age range of American readers, whether women or men are more likely to read books and how much time Americans spend reading versus other entertainment activities

New Providence, NJ - May 29, 2009 - Forty-five percent of Americans over the age of 13 read a book last year and one in three of them were over the age of 55, according to newly released data from PubTrack Consumer.

PubTrack Consumer, a service of Bowker, is the publishing industry’s premier resource for understanding consumer book buying behavior.  Data are derived from a nationally representative panel of U.S adult men, women and teens that complete weekly online surveys about their book purchase behavior.

Other interesting statistics to illustrate “Who Reads What?” in the U.S. include data regarding the age range of readers, the gender mix of readers and how people spend their leisure time in a typical week.  All data that is reproduced should be attributed to Bowker’s PubTrack Consumer database.

Age Range of Readers
The average age of a book reader is 44, but one in three readers is over the age of 55:


 
Readers by Gender
American women are more likely to be book readers than men:


 
Weekly Entertainment Activities
When it comes to how they spend their leisure time, Americans spend 3.9 hours per week reading books, far less than they spend online or watching TV, but more time than they spend listening to music on their iPod.


 
The release of the “Who Reads What?” data coincides with the upcoming launch of Bowker’s 2008 U.S. Book Consumer Demographics and Buying Behaviors Annual Report.  Available in June, this report is the publishing industry’s first complete consumer-based analysis of who is buying books and what motivates them to make their purchases.  It includes detailed book data, demographics, psychographics, genre category breakdowns and distribution channel analysis.  Pricing starts at $999, but pre-order discounts are available now by visiting www.pubtrackonline.com.

The statistics announced in this document were part of the first in what is planned to become a series of “Bowker Book Facts” data releases to journalists who cover the book publishing industry and other industry observers.  As a service to the publishing marketplace, Bowker will be drawing on its vast information resources to occasionally distribute interesting statistics regarding the business of book publishing and consumer book buying behavior.

About Bowker
Bowker is the world's leading provider of bibliographic information management solutions designed to help publishers, booksellers, and libraries better serve their customers. The company is focused on developing various tools and products that make books easier for people to discover, evaluate, order, and experience, as well as providing services to publishers that help them better understand and meet the interests of readers worldwide. Bowker is a member of the ProQuest family of companies and is headquartered in New Providence, N.J., with additional operations in England and Australia. For more information, please visit www.bowker.com.