section_path: Publishing
section_name: Publishing
paragraph_text: Publishing
  
  The pandemic is predicted to have a dire effect on local newspapers in the United States, where many were already severely struggling beforehand.
  
  In light of the public health situation in which includes afflicted regions where retail sectors deemed non-essential have been ordered closed for the interim, Diamond Comic Distributors announced on 24 March 2020 a full suspension of distributing published material and related merchandise as 1 April 2020 until further notice. As Diamond has a near-monopoly on printed comic book distribution, this is described as an " extinction-level event " that threatens to drive the entire specialized comic book retail sector out of business with that one move. As a result, publishers like IDW Publishing and Dark Horse Comics have suspended publication of their periodicals while DC Comics is exploring distribution alternatives including an increased focus on online retail of digital material.
  
  Total US book sales went down by 8.4% in March 2020 compared to March 2019 after the stay-at-home orders were implemented, with bookstore sales dropping by an estimated 33%. By June 2020, demand began to recover with the exception of educational material and bookstore sales, with most sales going to Amazon and big-box stores, who were open since they were considered essential businesses. Books that were initially supposed to be published in spring and early summer were delayed until fall, with the expectation that the pandemic would be over by then. Two of the major printing companies, Quad and LSC Communications, faced financial issues into the latter half of the year as the latter declared bankruptcy during a rise in demand. Increased sales were attributed to major book releases and increased demand for children's books and books about race and racism. This created supply chain bottleneck at the printing process for most publishers. According to NPD BookScan, print sales went up almost 8% in 2020.