Shrinking Library Market Poses Challenge to University Presses
[And finally], on-demand print technologies. Short-run and print-on-demand technology has become so sophisticated and trustworthy in the last few years that university presses rely on them in doing many first-time title budgets as well as reprints and back-in-prints.
Can you detail an example of one of Penn Press’ marketing campaigns that was particularly successful?
Waldron: The Press did a book titled “Pennsylvania Impressionism” about an early 20th century group of painters in the realistic tradition, who made their center in Bucks County, north of Philadelphia. I contacted nearly every business that I thought would have a stake in either the tourist market in this area, or in maintaining the image of the area as both bucolic and sophisticated. I made special sales deals with art galleries, bed and breakfast establishments, real estate companies and school districts. We secured reviews in both local and Mid-Atlantic venues, like The New York Times travel section, AAA Magazine and Philadelphia Magazine. In the end, we sold thousands upon thousands of copies of the book in just a two-county area. BB
Matt Steinmetz is the publisher and brand director of Publishing Executive.