Revenue

Pressing Matters Face the University Press Market
June 1, 2006

The university press has always been about more than just turning a profit. There’s the contribution of enabling scholars to write about unusual subjects, professors expanding on their classroom teachings and the overall extension of the university’s mission. Still, in a time when college budgets are dealing with further cutbacks and digital publishing is becoming more of a factor, university presses have never felt more pressure to produce economically, as well as educationally. “We’ve always relied on the credibility of what we publish to keep us afloat, but we need to expand our market to the mainstream,” says Ivar Nelson, director of the Eastern

U.S. Book Production Falls 18 Percent in 2005
May 12, 2006

NEW PROVIDENCE, N.J. -- Bowker, a bibliographic information agency, released a report this week that shows book publishing in the U.S. decreased 18 percent in 2005 to 172,000 new titles and editions -- marking the country’s first decline since 1999. The statistics, based on preliminary figures from U.S. publishers, were compiled from Bowker’s Books In Print database, a comprehensive listing of more than 6 million U.S. book, audiobook and video titles. The U.S.’s decrease allowed for Great Britain to assume the top spot as the world’s leader in English-language publishing, with the U.K.’s 206,000 new books in 2005 representing a 28-percent increase. The U.S.’s

InBox Interview: Walden Media—Production Company Turned Publisher
May 12, 2006

Walden Media, previously a production company known mainly for its smash-hit “The Chronicles of Narnia,” recently delved into the book publishing industry. The company is partnering with Penguin Group USA to publish books for young adults. Debbie Kovacs, vice president of publishing for Walden Media, spent some time with Book Business Extra! discussing the company’s venture into books and expanding the Walden brand. Kovacs is responsible for Walden’s partnership with Penguin. She also maintains relationships with major U.S. and U.K. publishers whose books may be turned into films. She says her company is currently in the process of developing more than 20 books --

How to Be a Bigger, Better Book Publisher
May 1, 2006

What does it take to achieve marked growth in the book business? The answer is as varied as the publishing companies in the market today. But a few core factors, such as acquisitions, international licensing and monetary support, can represent elements vital to extensive growth. Tapping into a bit of creativity and adapting to specific market needs also help. Dan Oswald, president and publisher of M. Lee Smith Publishers, LLC, and Rich Wohl, vice president of publishing for Wolters Kluwer Health and Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, have seen this firsthand. Here, they talk about the keys to their companies’ significant expansions and offer tips

A Step-by-Step, SeamlessOnline Integration
May 1, 2006

Imagine you’re a medical student and, like all students, you’re facing major textbook expenses. Enter Thieme Medical Publishers Inc., New York, a unit of Thieme International. Last year, this 27-year-old medical textbook publisher put its books for medical students online and is using the Internet to grow its business. The publisher wants to triple or quadruple its revenue from this market segment over the next three years, says Brian Scanlan, managing director of Thieme International, a division of the Stuttgard, Germany-based Thieme Publishing Group, founded in 1886. While the Thieme Publishing Group is a $150 million company, Scanlan declined to disclose revenue contributions and market share

26 Tips for Licensing International Rights
May 1, 2006

“Wide open and full of potential” is how Anne Landa, rights and exports manager for Sourcebooks Inc., characterizes the market for licensing international rights. “It is simply about placing the right books with the right people and seeing the whole thing through,” Landa—who works out of her home office in San Diego, Calif.—says about selling licensing rights to publishers around the globe for Sourcebooks. International licensing rights increased 20 percent last year at the Naperville, Ill.-based publisher. Sourcebooks, an independent publisher of more than 900 trade titles, has had books translated into 36 languages and published in 34 countries. Landa says she expects the upward

Book Business Conference‘Strikes Chord’ With Publishing Executives
May 1, 2006

Not even a George Clooney sighting could disrupt the 2006 Book Business Conference and Expo, which took place March 20-22 at the Hilton New York. The celebrity was filming his latest picture just feet away from the conference’s registration area and—predictably—attracted all sorts of ogling from attendees and passers-by, but it was the conference and expo that were the stars of the week. Much like the industry it serves, the conference found itself in an unprecedented state of evolution when it kicked off on Monday, March 20. In its 10th year and amid revolutionary changes in the world of book publishing, this year’s conference

ref•er•ence pub•lish•ing n :industry segment faced with dramatic change
May 1, 2006

It used to be that an encyclopedia salesman knocked on your door in hopes of selling you the latest 12-volume series of books brimming with factual information about everything from binary cell division to Benjamin Franklin. And your only option for finding the definition of onomatopoeia used to be to lug the dictionary off the shelf and thumb through its pages. Those days are, to some extent, history. As a result, reference publishers face significant challenges—reflected in a significant drop in new titles released in 2005—as they strive to adapt to new trends in the market. Paul Kobasa, editor in chief for World