Founded in June 1989, the Book Industry Association of Jamaica (BIAJ) was first conceived and presided over by Mrs Shirley Carby (Carlong Publishers), the organization's first President. The BIAJ was established as an umbrella organization to promote the interests of the local book trade and ensure its balanced and integrated development.

Unlike traditional Booksellers Associations or Publishers Associations, this unique structure evolved in Jamaica as pooling resources was essential - due to the small size of the local industry. The BIAJ recognises the importance of an indigenous book industry to the developement of the human resources of the country and wishes to play its part in the enrichment of its culture and advancement of its people.

The mission of the BIAJ is to be the nation's premier organization committed to promoting literacy and the reading habit as tools for national development, economic growth and educational excellence. In doing so, it affirms its support for Jamaica's stated committment to protecting the intellectual property rights of its citizens and preserving its culture heritage.
Originally grouped into the four sub-sectors of Publishing, Production, Promotion and Distribution, the publishing and production sectors were subsequently combined with the recent decline of the local book printing industry.