Winning Teams = Winning Titles

Can you explain what goes into publishing an “instant book”?
Hulsey: We actually write two books at a time. So once we know who the final two teams are in the World Series, for example, we will actually start writing the books on the final two teams’ seasons. The night of the game, our writers and designers will come into the offices, write the final chapter on the championship game and we design the cover the next morning before the book is sent off to the printer. So it’s very intense, but our printer is very used to doing this, and we can actually get the book to market usually by the following weekend. We want the book to hit when the hype around the team is high.

How optimistic are you about the future of book publishing?
Hulsey: I’m very optimistic for our industry. Like all industries, publishing has been through a lot of changes in the last few years. Communication flow has increased, companies have been acquired and consolidated while others have gone out of business. Retailers have become publishers, and publishers have started using the Internet to sell their books.

For the companies and individuals that can adapt and change with the times, there will also be opportunities to succeed. New ideas and new challenges bring opportunities for new companies to start and existing companies to grow. Learn from every situation you face.

When I started in this industry, several people told me that brick-and-mortar [stores] would be replaced by the Internet, and ink on paper would be replaced by digital books. Neither has happened—we’ve just used this new technology to help build our businesses and reach new markets. The individuals who change with the times will always succeed. BB