Growing POD Market... Publishing Volume Increases Ninefold in 10 Years

Books published through POD service, from the left: 'Mobile Picture Essay Drawing 書da', 'What If You Play in the Forest?', 'Dyed by Wildflowers'

[Asia Economy Reporter Seomideum] The POD (Print On Demand) service has been showing significant growth every year. Kyobo Bookstore's POD service, which allows publishing small quantities of books by printing after receiving orders from readers, grew by 20.3% compared to the same period last year (January 1 to July 17). Compared to 2012, when the business officially started, it has grown about ninefold as of last year.

The use of POD in the self-publishing market is gradually expanding. Its applications range widely from personal autobiographies to university textbooks. To date, a total of 24,187 titles have been published through Kyobo Bookstore's POD service, with 2,540 titles published in the first half of 2022 alone.

In the self-publishing market, a total of 327 authors published 710 titles in the first half of 2022. Among individual authors, there were slightly more men (175) than women (152). By age group, those in their 50s numbered 77, followed by those in their 40s at 73. Authors ranged widely in age from those born in 1935 (87 years old) to those born in 2006 (16 years old). Recently, there has been an increase in cases where middle and high school students in their teens record their academic lives or write novels and fairy tales themselves, then publish them as POD books together with their teachers and parents.

The most sold categories through the POD service were poetry/essays and employment/exam preparation books, accounting for 21% and 13% respectively in 2022. While a large portion of purchases are by authors buying their own published books, purchases with clear purposes, such as students buying university textbooks, are steadily increasing.

The best-selling POD book in the first half of 2022 was "Supeseo Nolmyeon Mwuhani?" (What’s the Use of Playing in the Forest?), followed by "Pulkkoche Muldeulda" (Dyed by Wildflowers) and "Mobile Picture Essay Geurim-e Seo-da" (Mobile Picture Essay Written in Pictures). All these books were self-published through Kyobo Bookstore POD service’s brand, "Purple."

Kyobo Bookstore’s POD service has zero initial publishing costs, while royalties are 20%, and up to 30% for large print books. Additionally, registered POD authors can check their book sales daily through a settlement details system on the POD page, which is another advantage.

Park Miyoung, head of the publishing business team at Kyobo Bookstore responsible for the POD service, said, “In 2019, we significantly revamped the convenience of the publishing platform, and in 2021, we started printing the day after readers place orders, allowing them to receive books within an average of 3 to 5 days, which is 2 to 3 days faster than competitors. We also lowered the unit price for color printing books, provided various book sizes, inner pages and cover options, and even offered hardcover production options. With competitiveness comparable to publishing through traditional publishers, the POD market is gradually growing to create a world where anyone can become an author.”