Founded in 1975, the Book Industry Study Group (BISG) isn’t well known to most authors, but it’s an important nonprofit group whose members collaborate, in BISG’s words, “to resolve pain points in the publishing ecosystem.” BISG’s membership includes all types of publishers—consumer, academic, and educational—and of course the Big Five.
Brian O’Leary, a highly regarded consultant and commentator in publishing—previously with Time Inc.—has been made the new executive director. His appointment follows the abrupt departure of Mark Kuyper from the role after only about a year. O’Leary’s appointment can only be good news for an organization that has recently worked to regain its direction through the development of a new (and still forthcoming) strategic plan.
In a Publishing Perspectives interview, O’Leary says, “It’s absolutely critical that we find ways to serve the interests of independent authors. At this point, many don’t understand the supply chain, and those who do sometimes feel that it doesn’t serve them.”
If BISG turns some of its attention to authors, O’Leary suggests, one area of informative analysis might involve the use (or not) of ISBNs in indie publishing. “Within the supply chain, ISBNs are a critical identifier, but independent authors selling in a single platform don’t see the value of paying what can be a sizable fee to obtain one. As a result, we all know less about what’s going on in the supply chain. In turn, that fosters debates about the size of various parts of the market, something we really should be able to figure out in a more transparent way.”
Bottom line: While BISG hasn’t been a go-to resource for authors in the past, we welcome O’Leary’s interest in an author-inclusive format. BISG has the cooperation and engagement of many key industry players. The closer their deliberations come to authors’ needs, the more inclusive an industry understanding can be developed through research and analysis.
Jane Friedman has spent her entire career working in the publishing industry, with a focus on business reporting and author education. Established in 2015, her newsletter The Bottom Line provides nuanced market intelligence to thousands of authors and industry professionals; in 2023, she was named Publishing Commentator of the Year by Digital Book World.
Jane’s expertise regularly features in major media outlets such as The New York Times, The Atlantic, NPR, The Today Show, Wired, The Guardian, Fox News, and BBC. Her book, The Business of Being a Writer, Second Edition (The University of Chicago Press), is used as a classroom text by many writing and publishing degree programs. She reaches thousands through speaking engagements and workshops at diverse venues worldwide, including NYU’s Advanced Publishing Institute, Frankfurt Book Fair, and numerous MFA programs.
