Trends in Children's Book Publishing, 1975-2000: Corporate Influences on Children's Reading

Abstract

Data gathered from selected supplements (1975, 1980, 1985, 1990, 1995, and 2000) to the Children's Catalog (H.W. Wilson), are analyzed to describe the corporate ownership of children's book imprints and assess trends and changes, including the decline of independent publishing entities in the early 1980s, the relative stability in the percentage of corporations that produce both large and small proportions of children's books, and the accelerated changes across the children's publishing industry during the past ten years. Conclusions address the influence of corporate ownership on the development, contents, accessibility, and marketing of books for children.