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EDITORIAL
(from September 03 issue)
Frankfurt just around the corner
We are still suffering from our move and it has
been difficult to give any thought to our annual German outing.
I hope that for most of you who are involved with exhibiting or
visiting the Frankfurt Book Fair have got most aspects of your
trip organised by now. It is worth noting that the fair seems
to come quite early this October and with that in mind we have
brought our October issue deadlines forward. All editorial and
advertising copy for our Frankfurt issue will be needed by the
26th September.
Prior to Frankfurt, we will be at Pira’s Publishing Technology
2003 event on the 24th and 25th September. The content is certainly
relevant to anyone who wants to make the most of the publishing
opportunities, introduced by new technology. Due to Frankfurt,
a report on the Pira event will be featured in the November issue
of Book People.
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
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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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PRINT-ON-DEMAND
WORKS FOR CAMBRIDGE
Smart
inventory control coupled with rapid distribution is the key to
a successful print-on-demand for books programme, enabling you
to order small batches or to fulfill single copies of small orders
direct to customers around the world.
Digital printing on-demand enables both short-run back to warehouse
and direct shipments to customers to take place. Cambridge University
Press, the printing and publishing house of the University of
Cambridge, has one of the most successful on-demand book programmes
today. Cambridge is one of the largest academic and educational
publishers in the world, publishing nearly 2,500 books and over
150 journals a year, which are sold in some 200 countries.
According to Charly Nobbs, Cambridge UK distribution director,
“We now have over 3,000 Cambridge SBNs that Lightning Source
can supply to us on a just-in-time or an on-demand basis. Historically,
it would not have been financially viable to keep these SBNs in
print. We have also resurrected a number of SBNs that had been
out of print. The digital print technology pioneered by Lightning
Source allows us to make all these SBNs available to Cambridge
customers. Both initiatives have allowed us to generate completely
new revenue streams.”
For several years Cambridge has run a low stock holding on-demand
programme and is now moving to a virtual stock “drop-ship”
programme, where single copies and are printed and despatched
directly to its customers by Lightning Source UK.
Charly commented, “This seamless print-to-market development
will ensure the persistent availability of our product to Cambridge
customers. All despatches made by Lightning Source will be accompanied
by the appropriate Cambridge documentation.”
Virtual stockholding coupled with direct despatch to the buyer/end-user
takes significant time and cost out of the supply chain.
Digitally printing books on-demand may not be the solution for
all your titles, but in most publishing houses a significant percentage
of the backlist and even some appropriate front list. Shipping
those printed books direct to customers or using Lightning Source’s
international reseller network to reach new customers could result
in more titles contributing to your bottom.
Contact the Lightning Source sales team at enquiries@lightningsource.co.uk
or in the UK 0845-121555. For further information about Lightning
Source see www.lightningsource.com.
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CASTING
A SPELL OVER CHILDREN'S PUBLISHING
For
this month’s interview, Book People visited Puffin,
a major player in the children’s world of publishing, to
establish from Elaine McQuade, sales and publicity director, the
extent to which the world of fantasy and Harry Potter have rocked
this important area.
Elaine McQuade
Once upon a time, children’s publishers quietly published
books that regularly went on to their backlists year after year.
This may have created possible turnovers of £10m-£25m
for these companies, without the razzamatazz demanded by their
adult colleagues.
With the exception of authors such as Jacqueline Wilson, Terry
Pratchett or Roald Dahl (who alone regularly sold over £1.5m
books a year), the majority was quietly sold without any major
fuss; heavy marketing was most certainly not the norm. In the
1990s hardback fiction was almost exclusively sold to public libraries,
and existing backlist titles – paperbacks – were regularly
and profitably re-jacketed to match the tastes of each new generation,
children’s books, unlike those of the adult market, having
a timeless quality about them. Titles for most of the 1990s focused
on children’s real lives by authors such as Anne Fine and
Robert Swindells, who wrote stories with which their readership
could identify. Then the fantasy world of Harry Potter came along.
This meant that the unacknowledged world of children’s books
was suddenly jolted into the limelight. Not only fantasy books
but all manner of fiction became big business. This gradually
extended also to authors’ advances, which began to emulate
those of the burgeoning adult celebrity market.
Compounded with this was the obvious interest in all things children
consequently taken up by bookshops (both independents and chains),
the trade generally and the media. All became excited, as Harry
Potter demonstrated that it was not only adult titles but also
other individual children’s books that could create vast
profits. The fact that the previous principal titles had been
largely published straight into paperback now paved the way for
a hungry hardback market.
Print-runs of lead titles also changed out of all proportion,
with a typical pre-Harry Potter initial run having been perhaps
1,500 hardbacks. This contrasts with a post-Potter subscription
for some titles of perhaps 80,000 hardbacks. That hardbacks are
so much in demand is another significant change. Today, as Elaine
McQuade emphasised, “diehard fans cannot wait for the paperback
to come out”. She also stressed that this focus on children’s
books “should be celebrated, since these sales are not pop
records but books, and the recent excitement over Harry Potter
is something we should all be delighted about.” Meaning
that children now regard reading as ‘cool’ and exciting.
Additionally, books, in particular the many novel ways in which
they are jacketed, are competing with other highly designed elements
within children’s leisure interests.
All the above has had an effect on international rights sales,
which have increased significantly. In general terms, market growth
in children’s books in the UK has increased by 15% including
Harry Potter, and by 8% excluding Harry Potter, since 1997.*
Nevertheless, in terms of publicity it seems that despite all
the media interest, each title, unlike the adult market, needs
a specific angle from which to launch great story or/and writer.
For instance, G.P. Taylor, the author of Faber’s Shadowmancer,
is a vicar and this has been homed in on in interviews as has
the mother/daughter angle (incidentally providing two markets:
both adults and children) in Zizou Corder’s soon-to-be-published
and much heralded title Lion Boy, a Puffin title.
Interestingly, retailers prefer children’s fiction titles
outside of Christmas so that they can concentrate on relevant
promotion. For the publisher, this means that the rest of the
year can be used for selling before another hardback promotion
at Christmas over and above further capitalisation during any
Harry Potter publication mania.
The enormous amount of energy and input placed in frontlist titles
has, however, had another repercussion - namely that backlist
paperback titles with their longer lifespan are not being promoted
by the trade as aggressively as the frontlist. Although modern
classics such as Tom’s Midnight Garden and Stig of the Dump
continue to sell well, keeping less well-known backlist titles
in print has become more problematic over the past few years.
Puffin’s own list has reflected the many changes brought
about by Potterisation. While Puffin continues to publish its
market-leading titles - both classics and more modern series/one-offs
- which have been a staple part of this major Penguin imprint
since inception in 1941, many lead titles are now benefiting from
the huge interest in children’s books in bookshops and the
media, and also from adult readers.
Their Artemis Fowl series, first published in 2001, is one such
example. The major retailers were looking for another Harry Potter
and worked closely with Puffin to put absolutely everything into
promoting the book. There had also been much pre-publicity for
two major reasons: the size of the author’s advance (conflated
by the press with the huge film option that had been taken out
at around the same time) and the fact that the author was a primary
school teacher from rural Ireland. Bought at auction, the £20,000
advance was then, in Elaine McQuade’s words “huge
for a children’s book”. When published some months
later, the book went on to sell nearly 140,000 copies in the next
six months.
A similar effect has happened with other children’s publishers
including Egmont, which has had considerable success with its
Lemony Snicket series originally published in the US by HarperCollins;
Faber with Shadowmancer; and Walker Books with its Alex Ryder
series by Anthony Horowitz.
The greater sales potential for lead titles now available within
children’s publishing has also been reflected in jacketing
approaches. The Artemis Fowl series has capitalised on children’s
love of glitter and sparkle with jackets that are printed on hologrammatical
foil.
The success of books in the age range addressed by the Harry Potter
invasion has, however, concentrated on books for slightly older
readers. No book has really yet broken through aimed squarely
at the 8+ bracket which, Elaine McQuade believes, “represents
the real core of children’s book sales”. Perhaps after
a similar invasion has taken place, they may all live happily
ever after.
*Books and the Consumer 1997—02, Book Marketing Ltd.
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FREE
E-COMMERCE SEMINAR
To remain competitive, publishers are now looking at e-commerce
to ensure that their business strategy maximises the potential
value of their key asset – content, in all its diverse forms.
Increasingly, publishers are realising that understanding what
users want and then designing solutions centred on these needs
is critical to the future development of a successful mix of print
and electronic information products and services.
The seminar will be held on Tuesday September 30th at BSG House,
226-236 City Road, London, EC1V 2TT. It will be chaired by publishing
consultant John Cox and feature presentations by Ruth Jones from
Extenza e-Publishing Services, Andreas Bartels from FT.com and
Scott Ewings from BSG Atomic Solutions.
Aims of the seminar include: How to drive online sales and achieve
sustainable revenues; How to respond to fundamental changes in
customer behaviour; How to manage the opportunities that digital
distribution brings.
To register for this free seminar call BSG Events: Tel: 020 7390
8732 and quote event code 309003, or visit www.bsg.co.uk/publishing-events
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RECORD
TURNOVER FOR A&B
Allison & Busby’s 2002 results show a dramatic
increase in turnover and profit. Figures show turnover of £698,247-
up from £475,690 in 2001, a 32% increase. Pre-tax profit
was also up at £72,110, compared with £47,466 in 2001.
Publishing director David Shelley commented: “These results
far exceeded expectations. 2002 was an excellent year for us,
with our literary fiction list performing particularly well. Our
results have undoubtedly been aided by inclusion in some major
trade promotions – we have found retailers really supportive
of our list. The aim is to continue growth while maintaining profitability;
the possibility of growth through acquisition is being considered.”
For more information please contact Nemah
Kamar on 020 7738 7888 or e-mail nemahkamar@allisonandbusby.com
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BRADBURY
PHILLIPS AT FRANKFURT
Bradbury Phillips International Ltd specialises in Rights
Management and Author Royalty systems for publishers and literary
agents of all sizes. Other products include Permissions and Agents
accounts - new this year!
See us in Hall 8.0 Stand D 946. www.bradburyphillips.co.uk
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FEW
PLACES LEFT FOR PUBLISHING TECHNOLGY 2003
(See
full article on July issue in archives)
There are still some places available for this PIRA
conference on 24th-25th September. Includes high-profile case
studies and practical examples from key players in international
publishing.
Visit www.piranet.com
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BERTELSMANN
IN PROFIT
Bertelsmann, owners of Random House,
has returned to profit after posting a first quarter loss.
Gross earnings of e228m ($250m) for the six-month period to June
2003 compared with e175m last year.
Reduced losses at the book and music club division contributed
to the improvement.
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CAREER
DEVELOPMENT AND TRAINING
Throughout
the summer we have been running 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
Website developed and maintained by Rigden Thorne. info@rigdenthorne.com
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