Book Industry Study Group
Book Industry Study Group (BISG) is a 501(c)(6) nonprofit trade association founded in 1976 that develops and maintains book-industry standards (BISAC subject codes, Bookland EAN barcoding, EDItX XML, rightsholder database), conducts industry research, and convenes the U.S. publishing supply chain.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1976
- HeadquartersNew York, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Book Industry Study Group does
The Book Industry Study Group (BISG), founded in 1976 and incorporated as a 501(c)(6) nonprofit trade association in New York, is the principal U.S.-based coordination body for book publishing supply-chain standards, research, and education. Its core products are industry standards and reference infrastructure rather than commercial software: the BISAC Subject Codes (the de facto classification taxonomy maintained since 1995 and updated annually), Bookland EAN barcoding guidelines (978/979 prefix specifications, price extension add-ons), EDItX XML schemas for electronic data interchange, and the Find a Rightsholder database covering 3,500+ imprints in the U.S. and U.K. These assets are developed through five standing committees (Metadata, Rights, Subject Codes, Supply Chain, Workflow) and five working groups (Accessibility, AI, Audiobook Best Practices, Book Publishing Next, Sustainability) staffed by 100+ volunteer publishing professionals.
BISG's membership spans the full publishing value chain — trade/educational/scholarly publishers, retailers (e.g., Books-A-Million), wholesalers and distributors (Baker & Taylor, Ingram Content Group), manufacturers (Versa Press), libraries (New York Public Library), and industry service partners (Firebrand Technologies). Revenue is generated through annual membership dues (set by the Board and not publicly disclosed), event and sponsorship packages (including the 2026 BISG@50 anniversary), paid research reports and BISAC list downloads, job-board postings, and ancillary member benefits (e.g., group health insurance via LIG Solutions). Distribution is anchored on the bisg.org website with self-serve enrollment.
The organization is governed by a 16-member Board of Directors representing six supply-chain segments, with day-to-day operations executed by a three-person staff in New York. Brian O'Leary retired as Executive Director on June 30, 2026, after a decade of service; Allison Belan (formerly Director of Strategic Innovation and Services at Duke University Press) succeeded him as the ninth Executive Director. Revenue figures are not publicly disclosed, and BISG operates without subsidiaries, outside investors, or M&A activity.
Book Industry Study Group firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Book Industry Study Group
- Legal name
- Book Industry Study Group, Inc.
- Website
- https://bisg.org
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1976
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Book Industry Study Group (BISG) is a 501(c)(6) nonprofit trade association founded in 1976 that develops and maintains book-industry standards (BISAC subject codes, Bookland EAN barcoding, EDItX XML, rightsholder database), conducts industry research, and convenes the U.S. publishing supply chain.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Book Industry Study Group industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Publishing Industry Standards and Trade Association Services
- NAICS
- Management, Scientific, and Technical Consulting Services (5416), Other Management Consulting Services (541618)
- SIC
- Services-Membership Organizations (8600)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Product, Safety & Quality Compliance (incl. Regulatory Affairs) (BPAHAFAM)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Regulatory Compliance Advisory (BPAHAFAB), Sustainability & ESG Consulting (BPAHACAK)
Keywords
Where Book Industry Study Group is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- New York
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Book Industry Study Group business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others
Revenue model
- Membership Dues: Annual membership dues and enrollment fees determined by the Board of Directors, with different amounts for different member classes. Membership is effective upon determination of eligibility and payment of fees.
- Events and Sponsorship: Revenue from event sponsorship packages (webinars, programs, annual events, publications), with 2026 sponsorship opportunities including BISG@50 anniversary celebration and content sponsorship. Members receive a 10% discount.
- Research Reports and Products: Sale of digital research reports and industry guidelines. Research summaries are free to members or at nominal cost to non-members; full reports require purchase. BISAC download available free to members, fee for non-members.
- Job Board: Career center and job board hosted on the BISG website, generating revenue through job postings.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription | Annual | General Membership |
| Subscription | Annual | Sponsorship Packages |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Research Reports and Products |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels1 record
Marketing channels8 records
Book Industry Study Group product offering
Product offeringCore offering
BISG is a membership-based nonprofit trade association that develops and maintains industry-wide standards, conducts research, and provides education and events for the book publishing supply chain. Its core deliverables include the BISAC Subject Codes classification system, Bookland EAN barcoding guidelines, the Find a Rightsholder database, EDItX XML document standards, policy statements, industry research reports, and multi-stakeholder committee coordination across metadata, rights, subject codes, supply chain, and workflow domains.
Product overview
The Book Industry Study Group (BISG) is a membership-based trade association that serves as a central coordination body for the book publishing industry rather than offering a commercial software product. BISG's portfolio consists primarily of standards, classification systems, and research products: BISAC Subject Codes (the industry standard classification system for book product metadata), Barcoding Guidelines (technical specifications for Bookland EAN and ISBN barcodes), Policy Statements (board-endorsed positions on EPUB 3, digital identification, and supply chain standards), the Find a Rightsholder database tool, and Research/Reports covering digital content, higher education, rights, and supply chain topics. BISG also facilitates industry collaboration through five standing committees (Metadata, Rights, Subject Codes, Supply Chain, Workflow) and five working groups (Accessibility, Artificial Intelligence, Audiobook Best Practices, Book Publishing Next, Sustainability). These components work together to drive efficiency, standards adoption, and best practices across the publishing supply chain.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- BISAC Subject Codes Standard subject classification system used across the book publishing supply chain for categorizing books in catalogs, websites, and library/retail systems. Maintained and annually updated by BISG, available as a free download for members and for a fee to non-members.
- Barcoding Guidelines for the U.S. Book Industry Comprehensive technical guidelines for barcode implementation covering ISBN-13, Bookland EAN (978/979 prefix), UPC standards, and price encoding specifications for the U.S. book industry.
- Find a Rightsholder Database A searchable online database tool providing rights and permissions contacts for U.S. and U.K. publishers, covering over 3,500 imprints including inactive and defunct ones. Updated as of Spring 2025.
- Policy Statements Board-endorsed policy statements addressing industry standards including EPUB 3 endorsement, digital content identification best practices, dual identifier elimination, ISBN-13 migration, RFID standards, and product identification guidelines.
- Research and Industry Reports Industry research reports covering digital products/ebooks, higher education content, rights management, and supply chain topics, distributed through the Knowledge Center and product downloads.
- Events, Webinars, and Annual Meeting Online and in-person events including webinars, committee meetings, working group sessions, the annual meeting, and the BISG@50 anniversary celebration. Members receive a 10% discount on sponsorship packages.
- Job Board / Career Center Career center hosted on the BISG website generating revenue through paid job postings from book industry employers.
- Membership Annual membership program with dues determined by the Board of Directors, varying by member class. Includes member benefits such as access to research, free research summaries, BISAC code downloads, and 10% discount on sponsorship packages.
Quantifiable outcome
- 559 publishing professionals and librarians participated in the 2025 AI in Publishing Survey, generating industry-wide data on AI adoption and concerns.
- +1 more outcomes
Companies that use Book Industry Study Group
Customer profileNamed customers12 records
Segments6 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
Book Industry Study Group technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature4 records
Book Industry Study Group partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- BookNet CanadacoreBISG and BookNet Canada jointly conduct annual AI in the Book Industry surveys, releasing comprehensive reports on AI adoption, use cases, and concerns across the North American publishing ecosystem. In 2025-2026, they released survey reports based on 559 respondents and a white paper on AI. The partnership also includes the Green Book Alliance sustainability initiative.
- EDItEUR and STMcoreBISG, along with EDItEUR and STM (the International Association of Scientific, Technical and Medical Publishers), joined Italy's Fondazione LIA (Liberi Immagini dell'Autonomia) to advance accessibility in publishing. This extends BISG's accessibility working group initiatives into an international coalition focused on inclusive publishing standards.
- Book Industry Communication (UK)corePartnership through the Green Book Alliance — a three-market consortium (Canada, USA, UK) dedicated to sustainability in the book industry. BISG coordinates with Book Industry Communication (UK) and BookNet Canada on environmental sustainability initiatives including a Printer-Publisher Sustainability Checklist.
- American Library Association (ALA)minorBISG and ALA announced a research partnership in 2015, conducting joint surveys on library content and digital book usage. The partnership has included library-specific survey research and data sharing on digital content consumption in public libraries.
- American Booksellers AssociationminorBISG collaborated with the American Booksellers Association to create a series of mobile commerce guides for publishers and booksellers, covering mobile marketing, sales platforms, QR codes, and campaign best practices.
- LIG Solutions (Lighthouse Insurance Group)minorBISG members have access to health insurance and prescription drug benefits through LIG Solutions, a partnership providing group healthcare coverage to association members.
Scale indicators4 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Book Industry Study Group competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- EDItEUR: International body coordinating ONIX, EDItX, and thematic book supply chain standards. Joint partner with BISG in accessibility initiatives alongside STM and Fondazione LIA, and the upstream source of many standards BISG localizes for the US market.
- Association of American Publishers (AAP): US trade association representing most major commercial publishers, focusing on advocacy and copyright rather than technical standards. Overlapping membership and policy posture with BISG; the two are routinely distinguished by government and press in the same breath.
- American Booksellers Association (ABA): US retail-side trade association for independent bookstores. Partnered with BISG on mobile commerce guides for publishers and booksellers and shares overlapping board members from retail members like Books-A-Million.
- Book Industry Communication (BIC): UK-based non-profit serving the same role for the British book trade: supply chain standards, accessibility, and sustainability programmes. Co-partner with BISG in the Green Book Alliance, making it the closest functional twin in another geography.
- BookNet Canada: Canadian standards and research body for English-language book trade, jointly runs the annual AI in the Book Industry survey with BISG and co-hosts the Green Book Alliance. Operates a near-identical mandate as BISG for Canadian supply chain participants.
- STM (International Association of Scientific, Technical and Medical Publishers): International trade body for STM publishers, jointly partnered with BISG and EDItEUR through the Fondazione LIA accessibility coalition. Comparable mission in academic/scholarly publishing to what BISG does for the trade book segment.
- Independent Book Publishers Association (IBPA): US trade body serving independent and self-published authors and small presses with standards, education, and distribution resources. Addresses a portion of the same membership audience as BISG, particularly around metadata and distribution standards.
Others
- Copyright Clearance Center: US rights and licensing intermediary whose remit overlaps with BISG's Rights Committee and Find a Rightsholder database (3,500+ imprints). Adjacent ecosystem participant in publishing rights and permissions rather than a direct competitor.
- International ISBN Agency: London-based agency administering the global ISBN standard that BISG's barcoding guidelines rest on. Adjacent enabling body that supplies the identifier infrastructure underpinning BISG's barcode products.
Broad incumbents
- American Library Association (ALA): Dominant US library trade association and BISG's standing research partner since 2015 on digital content and library usage studies. Larger, more diversified scope but converges with BISG on accessibility and digital content licensing.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Book Industry Study Group social profiles
Digital presenceBook Industry Study Group financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Book Industry Study Group leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles3 records
Book Industry Study Group funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Book Industry Study Group M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Book Industry Study Group
What does Book Industry Study Group do?
BISG is a membership-based nonprofit trade association that develops and maintains industry-wide standards, conducts research, and provides education and events for the book publishing supply chain. Its core deliverables include the BISAC Subject Codes classification system, Bookland EAN barcoding guidelines, the Find a Rightsholder database, EDItX XML document standards, policy statements, industry research reports, and multi-stakeholder committee coordination across metadata, rights, subject codes, supply chain, and workflow domains.
Is Book Industry Study Group a public or private company?
Book Industry Study Group is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was Book Industry Study Group founded?
Book Industry Study Group was founded in 1976. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Book Industry Study Group based?
Book Industry Study Group is headquartered in New York, United States, in the North America region.
How does Book Industry Study Group make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Membership Dues are the primary driver. The others are events and Sponsorship, research Reports and Products and job Board.
Who are Book Industry Study Group's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are EDItEUR, Association of American Publishers (AAP), American Booksellers Association (ABA), Book Industry Communication (BIC), BookNet Canada, STM (International Association of Scientific, Technical and Medical Publishers) and Independent Book Publishers Association (IBPA). Others are Copyright Clearance Center and International ISBN Agency. American Library Association (ALA) is listed as a broad incumbent.
Does Book Industry Study Group have an API?
No public API is recorded for Book Industry Study Group.
What industry is Book Industry Study Group in?
Book Industry Study Group's product category is Publishing Industry Standards and Trade Association Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAHAFAM, Product, Safety & Quality Compliance (incl. Regulatory Affairs), with a secondary code of BPAHAFAB, Regulatory Compliance Advisory. Its NAICS code is 5416 and its SIC code is 8600.