Book publishing at record levels

Despite widespread agreement that too many books are in the marketplace, publishers apparently can’t help themselves.

A study released Tuesday estimated that a record 195,000 new works came out in 2004, a 14% jump over the previous year and 72% higher than in 1995.

“No one wants to cut back, that’s pretty obvious,” says Andrew Grabois, senior director of publisher relations and content development for R.R. Bowker, a New Providence, N.J.-based company that compiles statistics on books published in the United States.

The Bowker report follows a survey released last week from the Book Industry Study Group, which estimated that the actual number of books sold in 2004 dropped by 40 million from the previous year.