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EDITORIAL
(from December 03 issue)
A well earned rest
As Margaret Willes of the National Trust points
out in her interview, this is the time of year when a significant
proportion of product is sold and the booktrade receives most
of its revenue.
It seems appropriate that we should all allow ourselves a little
break to re-charge the batteries before we start all over again
for next year.
This month we are pleased to be able to carry the story of Plymbridge’s
return from the brink. Rowman & Littlefield have grown considerably
in recent years in both publishing and distribution spheres, and
they certainly appear to have the resources to get Plymbridge
back on track.
As we expect many of our contributors and advertisers to take
a long break – right through to January – our deadlines
for the next issue will be extended. The editorial copy deadline
will be Tuesday 6th with Wednesday 7th being the last day for
job vacancies and advert copy.
Merry Christmas!
Paul
Thorne
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Audited
circulation for the year to 31st December 2002. Average circulation
of 5,707.
Book
People is published by Rigden Thorne
16 Chilham Way, Bromley, Kent BR2 7PR
Telephone: 08456 580068• Fax: 08456 580068
Email: paul@book-people.net
Editor:
Paul Thorne
Special features: Susan Dixon
Sub Editor: Paula Arkell
Production: Liz Bingold
Advertising Sales: David Bonner
© 2003 by Chappell Thorne. All rights reserved. No part of
this publication may be reproduced, stored in any retrieval system,
or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical,
photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior written
permission of the publisher.
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Rowman
& Littlefield acquires Plymbridge
The
Rowman & Littlefield Publishing Group in the US has purchased
the assets of UK firm Plymbridge Distributors. Rowman & Littlefield
was one of Plymbridge's 120 distribution clients before Plymbridge
went into administration in October.
Irv Myers with some of the staff at Plymbridge
Rowman
& Littlefield, founded in 1975, publishes around 1,300 academic,
reference, and college textbooks annually. It maintains a backlist
of 20,000 active titles. These books will continue to be available
from Plymbridge now that the sale has closed.
Rowman & Littlefield has acquired two dozen small publishing
houses in the past 10 years, several of which continue to publish
new books under their imprints. These include Scarecrow Press,
one of the oldest and most respected US reference book publishers;
Lexington
Books, a publisher of academic monographs in the humanities and
social sciences; Ivan R. Dee, a Chicago-based publisher of serious
non-fiction books for the trade; AltaMira Press, a San Francisco
Bay-area publisher of academic books in the archeology, anthropology,
and museum studies; Collegiate Press, a publisher of college textbooks
in the social sciences and humanities; and Sheed & Ward, a
Chicago-based publisher of religious books. The Rowman Littlefield
Publishing Group is one of the largest independent publishers
in North America.
In 1986, Rowman & Littlefield launched National Book Network,
a distributor of independent trade publishers which has grown
to become the second largest company of its kind in the US. In
2003, NBN will generate approximately $85m on behalf of its 90
publishing clients. Rowman & Littlefield and NBN conduct all
of their distribution activities in separate buildings located
in Blue Ridge Summit, Pennsylvania in a 300,000 square foot complex
acquired from McGraw Hill in 1997. All customer service, inventory
management, distribution, credit and collection, reporting, and
accounting functions are performed in the Blue Ridge Summit facility.
Plymbridge, founded in 1976 as Macdonald & Evans and then
sold to Harper & Row in 1985, is one of the UK's most respected
distribution companies. For many years it was run by Mike Beevers,
Ken Wasley, and Brian Eagle after they acquired it in 1989 in
a management buyout from Harper. When the trio retired in early
2002, the firm was sold to an outside investor named Harry Midgely.
Less than two years later, the company, faced with mounting financial
difficulties, went into administration in October. Midgely, managing
director and owner at the time of filing, is no longer with the
company.
Irv Myers, executive vice president and chief operating officer
of Rowman & Littlefield, will be in charge of the operation
in Plymouth. He said: "Our first priority is to stabilise
the operation and ensure that our clients receive the best service
possible…we are confident that with the right management
team and appropriate financial support, we can bring Plymbridge
back to its glory days relatively quickly."
Myers and his team will be communicating with existing Plymbridge
clients to finalise new distribution contracts in the next 30
days. In the meantime, Alan Tomlinson, the administrator appointed
to oversee Plymbridge during the past month, has promised to settle
the affairs of the old Plymbridge operation as quickly as possible.
Plymbridge clients should hear from Mr. Tomlinson soon with regard
to how much of the pre-administration receivable will be paid
out to the clients.
For further information, please contact Irv Myers at imyers@rowman.com
or jlyons@rowman.com.
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Homing
in on the handbook of history
Over and above today’s many competitive and ultra-commercial
publishing houses battling for number one bestsellers, there are
tourist institutions that concentrate on their backlists as a
means of bringing in additional revenue from their many visitors.
One such is the National Trust.
Margaret Willes
JThe National Trust is over 100 years old, yet its publishing
division dates only from 1988. Prior to this, books were produced
in conjunction with a variety of publishers, an arrangement that
produced an uncoordinated range of titles. This changed with the
arrival of Margaret Willes, who set up the new publishing division.
Still enthusing about their various titles after more than 18
years, Margaret works closely with a small team of seven people
in-house, conceiving and producing 12-16 new titles each year.
Raising the profile of the publishing division is part of the
Trust’s recent restructuring. One aim is a more co-ordinated
and closer working arrangement across some of the Enterprise divisions,
such as broadcasting, filming and the Trust’s extensive
photographic library. A commercial manager, John Stachiewicz,
previously international managing director of HarperCollins, has
recently been appointed. Working alongside Margaret Willes, he
aims to exploit sales in as many ways as possible, thereby allowing
Margaret and her team to concentrate on creating the books.
The division’s range of titles, currently aimed largely
at a general market, relate to the Trust’s property, taking
in its many houses, landscapes and gardens. The list still leaves
room for yet more, particularly about the many specialities relating
to these properties. A Country House at Work is one example of
a title for which much original research has been carried out:
in this case into the way that the house and estate at Dunham
Massey in Cheshire was organised through the centuries. This approach
to interpreting country houses would not have attracted so much
interest 20 or 30 years ago, when interest tended to be focussed
on the state rooms of historic houses.
The Trust works alongside English Heritage; often the Trust owns
the land while English Heritage looks after the historic site
and is responsible for opening it to the public – Stonehenge
is an example of this arrangement. Currently,
the two organisations are involved in producing a monograph of
Sutton House, a Tudor house in Hackney. The house is owned by
the Trust but English Heritage is publishing the book, as it was
their archaeologists who carried out the conservation survey.
Although the Trust is a huge organisation with hundreds of properties,
it is a charity that relies on funds from its members and donors.
In order to publish academic rather than commercial titles, it
is also dependent on grant-making institutions – some large
like the Getty Foundation, others much smaller, such as the David
Cohen Trust, which made it possible for the Trust to publish Early
Keyboard Instruments, a catalogue of the important collection
kept at Fenton House in Hampstead.
The labour-intensive nature involved in producing large illustrated
books requires detailed consideration before embarking on any
project. One such project was the authoritative Gardens of the
National Trust, which took the author Stephen Lacey many years
to research and which he is now researching yet further for a
new updated edition. Yet Fertile Fortune, a book about the Victorian
Gothic house of Tyntesfield just outside Bristol, took less than
six months from conception to publication. The estate at Tyntesfield
was bought by the National Trust in 2002 thanks to a grant from
the National Heritage Memorial Fund, plus large donations from
various bodies and individuals and small donations from the enthusiastic
public of Bristol, Somerset and Wiltshire. In order to get the
book produced in such a short time, a freelance packager was employed
- an approach not usually possible because of the costs involved.
New titles are planned years in advance. Sometimes the authors
are Trust employees but their busy schedules do not always allow
them to set aside the time required for writing. One author is
Neil Porteous, the head gardener at Clumber Park in Nottinghamshire,
who is researching and writing a book on historical vegetables.
He will describe the qualities of old varieties of vegetables,
fruit and herbs, and how to use traditional methods to ensure
the best tasting results. He uses the walled garden at Clumber
with its magnificent Edwardian glasshouses, and he is also calling
upon some of his fellow head gardeners at other Trust properties
to spread the word – or seeds!
The curator of the significant Wade Costume Collection, Althea
Mackenzie, is writing a series of little books on aspects of the
collection. Although most of Charles Paget Wade’s collections
are shown at his house, Snowshill Manor in Gloucestershire, his
costumes - which date from the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries -
are kept at Berrington Hall in Herefordshire. The fragility of
the textiles means that the costumes and accessories are not usually
on public show, so this series which begins with Hats and Bonnets
and Shoes and Slippers, will provide access for both the general
reader and fashion students. For these books, a new image has
deliberately been sought to present visually attractive books.
Nevertheless, Margaret stressed that they must not ‘look
like last year’s goods’ and so maintains classical
designs.
The publishing division also produces the annual handbook that
is sent out free to members to provide details of the opening
arrangements, events and attractions for the forthcoming season.
In addition, handbooks are produced about the National Trust’s
gardens, coast and countryside and sites that are particularly
appropriate for family visits. The guidebooks to individual properties
– of which there are more than 300 – are produced
by just one editor and his assistant. These have gradually moved
away from a rather academic approach, using black and white pictures
to one that concentrates on social history colour photographs.
Images from the Trust’s Photo Library are an important element,
and the schedule of photographic shoots is often led by the requirements
for guidebooks.
The print-runs for guidebooks are based on a two-year cycle, although
some are revamped even more frequently because of changes in the
visitor route, pictures and furniture being moved around, and
so on. All profits from the guidebooks go directly to the properties,
with the publishing division making a central charge for overheads
and production costs.
National Trust books are sold through the Trust’s own shops,
internally through the membership department, and through special
sales such as bookclubs. Antique Collector’s Club(ACC) distribute
and represent the Trust’s list in the trade worldwide through
its various agents. Trade incorporates not only the high street
book chains but also the shops of other heritage organisations.
Currently, for instance, the National Portrait Gallery has a whole
range of Trust titles to support its exhibition of servants’
portraits. The Trust also has a small children’s list, and
school libraries are an important market for these.
There are two distinct selling periods for the list. The Trust
shops open towards the end of March with the opening up of the
properties, and this is the time when books on gardening, coast
and countryside and walking guides are published. In September,
books aimed at the Christmas market are published, although consideration
has to be given to the fact that by October many of the Trust
shops are closed. About 60% of Trust titles are sold between September
and Christmas, largely through ACC.
The National Trust takes stands at the London Book Fair and Frankfurt.
Both Margaret Willes and her publishing administrator, Helen Cross,
are keen on selling co-editions to European publishers but find
this difficult because of the very national nature of the list.
Despite this, agents who sell the English editions to European
bookshops report that many purchasers like the quintessentially
British nature of the books. The Trust has many members overseas:
44,000 in the US through its affiliate Royal Oak, and 13,000 in
Germany.
Foreign editions of guidebooks are rare because of the lack of
demand. Usually a text-only translation is provided, and visitors
will buy the illustrated guide in English. The one exception to
this is at Hill Top, Beatrix Potter’s cottage in Near Sawrey
in Cumbria. Here the huge number of Japanese visitors has enabled
the Trust to produce a Japanese edition of the illustrated guidebook.
The significant reorganisation of the National Trust is opening
up exciting new opportunities for marketing and sales. It is hoped
this will have a positive financial impact, enabling the Trust’s
publishing to expand and take advantage of the superb resource
available.
For more information on the National Trust please visit www.nationaltrust.org.uk
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New
managing director at Lightning Source UK
Lightning
Source has named David Taylor as the new managing director for
Lightning’s UK operations, effective 1 January 2004.
Mr Taylor will replace Malcolm Allen, who will retire at the end
of the year. Mr Taylor currently serves as the business development
director for Lightning Source in the UK.
J. Kirby Best, president and CEO of Lightning Source Inc. commented:
‘Print-on-demand is poised to move to its next stage of
development and David is exactly the right sort of person to drive
that, both in terms of his business experience and his own character.
His passion for books feeds his enthusiasm for the print on demand
offer and he communicates that admirably to both publishers and
booksellers. We are now at a stage in our development in the UK
where we need that perspective.’
David Taylor started his career on the shop floor of Blackwell’s
bookshop in Broad Street, Oxford in 1983 and worked his way up
to the board of Blackwell’s UK library supply business.
In 1999, he co-founded the Nibbie-shortlisted internet bookselling
company, swotbooks.com, where he continues to serve as non-executive
chairman.
Mr Taylor is a past chairman of the College and University Booksellers
Group, and is currently a member of the BA Council and chairman
of the Internet Booksellers Group, which he was instrumental in
establishing. He has also acted as a judge on both the Whitbread
and NCR Non Fiction book awards and has written a number of articles
for the trade press.
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Extenza-Turpin
goes global
Following its deal with Kluwer Academic publishers to
take on Kluwer’s distribution business this summer, Extenza-Turpin
offers publishers a co-ordinated global service for their books
and journals in print and electronic versions.
Utilising a central order processing system with customer service
and distribution centres in the UK, US and the Netherlands, Extenza-Turpin
can accommodate book and/or journal global or regional management
on behalf of its clients.
The central order processing system offers the flexibility of
local data input and interrogation in real-time in the three countries,
while providing standardised billing, cash collection and banking
in multiple currencies, centralised sales reporting, sales ledger
management and contract management - thus reducing the number
of contacts for each function.
The enhanced warehouse management system within all three locations
further enables the publisher to manage its inventory control
and usage. Despatch may be conducted from more than one site depending
on the location of the customer, and may be used for both traditional
and print-on-demand publications.
New publishers joining Extenza-Turpin in 2004 will also benefit
from the custom-built warehouse, which is currently under construction
for the UK site.
Contact: www.extenza-turpin.com
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Literary
agent/author to speak at BEA 2004
Pam Brodowsky to give Writer's Conference presentation
on Query Letters
Mark Dressler, director of education for BookExpo America (BEA),
has selected literary agent Pamela K. Brodowsky, author of Secrets
of Successful Query Letters to speak at the BEA Writer’s
Conference in Chicago on 2 June, 2004.
Brodowsky, principal at International Literary Arts, will speak
on the topic of query letters during the afternoon session of
the BEA Writer’s Conference, and will be featured as a panel
member for the always-popular ‘pitch session’, during
which writers will have the opportunity to pitch their manuscripts
to literary agents.
‘If an author has book-length credentials that are relevant
to his project query, as his prospective agent, I want to be aware
of these credentials, allowing me to focus on the marketability
of this author and his project. Effective queries allow me to
make an informed decision as to whether I want to investigate
the proposal further,’ Brodowsky commented.
A unique insider’s guide, Secrets of Successful Query Letters
showcases the working query, complete with real letters that landed
writers an agent. The various examples of query are accompanied
by comments regarding how each letter drew attention and why each
works as a whole. The title will be released in May 2004, coinciding
with BEA the first week of June.
BookExpo America encompasses the entire scope of book publishing
in the United States and beyond. Over 2,000 exhibits and 500 authors,
a special rights business area, and more than 100 conference sessions
make BEA the premier book publishing industry event.
The Writer’s Conference, sponsored by Writer’s Digest
Books, precedes BEA and drew over 350 attendees last year. The
conference focus for 2004 is ‘The Business of Authorship’.
Speakers are chosen for their expertise and represent various
aspects of the book publishing industry.
Brodowsky is an experienced literary agent as well as a popular
speaker at various writers’ conferences, including the International
Women’s Writing Guild and the Women’s National Book
Association. Her literary agency, International Literary Arts,
represents writers of both fiction and non-fiction.
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Hutchinson
acquires Bruce Oldfield's autobiography
Paul
Sidey, editorial director of Hutchinson has acquired the autobiography
of Bruce Oldfield from Arabella Stein at the Abner Stein Literary
Agency.
September 2004 marks the 30th anniversary of Bruce Oldfield’s
career in the fashion business. It will be celebrated with a glittering
party and also with the publication of the autobiography.
Paul Sidey says: ‘Bruce Oldfield is a Barnardo’s orphan
with an instinctive flair for design. He has created the most
beautiful clothes for an amazing range of people – from
Princess Diana to Dame Edna Everage. And he has some hilarious
tales to tell. But what makes his story exceptional is the very
personal account of his childhood and of the mother he never knew.’
‘After thirty years in business,’ says Oldfield, ‘it
seemed an opportune moment to put down an account of my life as
much to evaluate where I’ve been as to decide on where I’m
going.’
Hutchinson will publish Bruce Oldfield’s autobiography in
hardback on 2 September 2004.
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ANTONY
ROWE – pioneer of short-run book printing
We have just heard the sad news
that one of the UK’s major pioneers of short-run book printing
has died after a short illness.
Over the last twenty years Antony Rowe has done much to change
the publishing world’s perception of the viable book run.
His company has always been prepared to embrace technological
change in the print world and translate the changes into significant
benefits for its publishing customers.
The development of print-on-demand in partnership with Gardners
show that even in recent years, the company had not lost its ability
to embrace new ideas and open up further marketing possibilities
for publishers.
The following obituary has been written by Andy Burns, colleague
and long-time friend of Antony Rowe.
Obituary:
Antony Duncan Rowe
It is with a great amount of sadness that we have to announce
the death of one of the last gentlemen of the printing industry,
Antony Rowe. He died peacefully in his sleep on Friday evening
following a short illness.
Antony had an incredible life, cramming in more achievements than
most men do. He was submariner in the Second World War, he was
the officer on watch of the first British Naval Vessel to enter
Hong Kong. He went to Oxford University to follow a classical
degree where he also rowed for the Oxford eight, who he went on
to captain in 1948 and coach through the sixties. In this period
he also rowed in the Olympics (with a broken rib!), won the Diamond
Skulls on the Thames in 1949, and won a medal in the Empire games
of 1950. He rowed at the Leander club this year before going on
a trip up the Amazon.
He started work within the printing industry in the 1950s, becoming
a master printer. He took over the reigns at the Western Printing
Services part of the Pitman Group of companies, and was the printer
who took on the job of printing Lady Chatterly’s Lover for
the Penguin Press, which changed the law on obscenity in 1960.
He moved to the Pitman Press in the early 1970s where he became
Chief executive. During this period he was chairman of the Bath
Contemporary Arts Festival, a subsidiary of the famous music festival,
which enabled him to indulge in his great passions for both music
and art. He continued to sponsor musical events until this year.
In the early 1980s he saw a gap in the market for short run production
of books, and chased a group of publishers to supply work for
the eponymous company he established on 1st August 1983, four
days before his 59th birthday. Starting with four employees, including
Charlotte Simmonds who became his wife in 1986, the company soon
became established as the market leaders in short run book production,
pioneering many new methods of production. Antony could frequently
be seen feeding books into binding machines, working guillotines
and packing the books before loading them into the company van
to deliver the books and ‘sales’ call at the same
time. He proudly showed his signet ring with white paint ingrained
from when he painted out the original factory.
His hands on approach and wicked sense of humour never left him
and earned him the respect and admiration of all those who worked
with him, including publishers and suppliers. Even the competition
companies will miss Antony such was the measure of the man.
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INDEXERS'
NEWS
Awards
The Bernard Levin Award for services to indexing was presented
to Doreen Blake at the Society’s conference in Glasgow.
Doreen is a founder member, former president, vice-president and
council member of the Society. She won the Wheatley Medal for
an outstanding index in 1968.
The Carey Award for services to indexing and the Society of Indexers
was presented to Janet Shuter. Janet is a former chair of the
Society, a former editor of The Indexer, and played key roles
in establishing the Society’s distance-learning course and
compiling international standards for indexing.
The Betty Moys Prize for the year’s best newly-accredited
indexer was presented at the conference to Mary Jane Steer. Betty
was a distinguished indexer and former treasurer of the Society
and was always particularly keen to encourage and support new
indexers.
2003 Conference
The Society’s annual conference, ‘A Scots Quair’*
took place at Strathclyde University in Glasgow in June. Presentations
and workshops covered a variety of topics, and the conference
proved a useful and enjoyable weekend.
*A literary work.
2004 Conference
The next annual conference will be held on 2–4 April 2004,
at Chester College in Chester. The conference, entitled ‘Indexing
– Marching Forwards’, will provide a wide-ranging
programme around the themes of new skills for indexers and areas
in which to apply them. Details available on the website at www.socind.demon.co.uk/confern/conf04.htm
The Indexer
The current issue (October 2003) of the Society’s journal,
The Indexer, has a Welsh flavour, with items about indexing the
archaeology of Wales, Welsh place-names and a Welsh Methodist
magazine, as well as an article about the Welsh Books Council.Indexers
news
CAREER
DEVELOPMENT AND TRAINING
Throughout
the summer of 2003 we ran a series of articles in the hard copy
of Book People. These include contributions from major training/course
providers and recruitment professionals, plus a regular column
from Suzanne Collier of bookcareers.com on career development.
Press button to see the features included in the June, July, August
and September issues.
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Book People 2003
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