Saturday, November 1, 2008

Grub Street Printing Newsletter #8 Nov./Dec. 2008


On Demand Books

The Espresso 2 book making machine has just been introduced by On Demand Books. The stand alone machine can produce a perfect bound book in 5 – 10 minutes at a cost of around $10.

The University of Michigan Library purchased an Espresso 1.5 in September of this year (about $100,000) and is already approaching 2 million available titles for production.

Is browsing at Borders about to go the way of the 5th Avenue Easter Parade?

Border’s Blues

With private equity firms hoarding whatever funds they have, Borders Group announced it has abandoned its search for a suitor and will continue to attempt to grow its business alone.

Border’s stock has fallen from $12 to $.69 per share this year. The NYSE requires a minimum share price of $1.00 to be listed.

Freight 101

It took years for me to understand LTL (Less Than Truckload) freight rates, classes and tariffs. Here’s a simple explanation of the LTL pricing structure (and it offers the name of a carrier currently offering 70% discounts) http://www.logisticsmgmt.com/article/CA6601818.html. A free subscription to Logistics Management is also available at this site.

Package Delivery Rates Going UP(S)

Although gasoline prices have fallen to their lowest level in 4 years, UPS has announced a 5.9% price increase effective January 5 on all ground and LTL services. Air services will increase 4.9%

Also, the US Post Office announced a $2.8 billion loss for the fiscal year ending September 30. Pundits say to brace for a significant increase.

Chasing 1%

Random House just announced it will increase the number of its titles available as e-books to 15,000.

While quick to point out that e-book sales more than doubled this year, Random House acknowledges that e-books have captured less than 1% of total book sales.

With Regret

Robert Cooper, former Executive Secretary of the American Federation of Astrologers, passed away August 8, 2008. He had retired last winter. Bob was a polarizing figure in the astrological community. I worked with Bob and the AFA on perhaps 100 titles over the years.

Happy 1st Birthday to Us

In reviewing year #1 we found that when Grub Street Printing gets multiple estimates for you, the average savings between the two best quotes is $506. That’s a 14% savings for our publishers!

Thanks to all of the publishers who gave us a try (and saved some money).

What are you waiting for?


Monday, September 1, 2008

Grub Street Printing Newsletter #7 Sept. / Oct. 2008

Brand New –Acrobat 9

Acrobat 9 has just been released as part of Creative Suite 3.3. Best new feature? Acrobat 9 makes collaboration on documents easier, especially with the ability to access the new Acrobat.com, a free online service and library that allows file sharing and real time discussions with other users.

Orphan Works

In late September the Senate passed the Shawn Bentley Orphan Works Act of 2008 (S. 2913).

The bill deals with copyrighted works whose authors or copyright holders cannot be located.

Warehouse Cleaning

Whether it’s because of a new edition or declining sales, occasionally some titles need to be disposed of.

If remaindering isn’t practical, consider donating those books to the Books for Asia Program.

Program information is available at http://asiafoundation.org/program/overview/books-for-asia.

The books won’t compete with your other editions and you’ll get a tax break.

The Future of Print

Check out www.atdrupa.de to see videos of the newest print technology from Drupa, the world’s largest print show. Andrew Tribute’s analysis is worth watching twice.

Rainforest Blues

International Paper has announced plans to build a pulp/paper mill in Indonesia where the rainforest is disappearing at the rate of 7 million acres per year. Most of Indonesia’s timber is taken illegally.

Indonesia’s deforestation creates more emissions annually than all of the cars, planes, buses and trucks in the U.S. according to ForestEthics.org.

Printer Profit Squeeze

American printers continue to struggle with profitability in the transition to digital output. Profits declined 35% in the 12 months ending June 30, 2008.

In a Related Story

Quebecor World is being sued by a group of its suppliers for repaying $376 million of bank debt just days before its 2007 bankruptcy filing, leaving the vendors with a much smaller pie to share.

Despite its bankruptcy, Quebecor remains the second largest commercial printer in North America (behind RR Donnelley) with annual revenues exceeding $6 billion.

The top 13 North American “mega printers” saw revenues decline 6% since 1999 in spite of completing some blockbuster mergers and acquisitions (think Banta and Perry Judds). The mega printers control over 30% of the North American print market.

Tuesday, July 1, 2008

Grub Street Printing Newsletter #6 July / August 2008


Amazon vs. Ingram

The Lightning Source reps in Ingram’s booth at BEA were kept busy discussing its expanded ability to print full color books on demand.

Asked about Amazon’s new requirement that POD books offered by Amazon be produced only by Amazon’s POD producer BookSurge, a Lightning Source rep just smiled and said everything would be resolved in six months. He just wouldn’t say how.

Merge Out of Chapter 11?

American Color Graphics, an 80 year old printer with 14 locations will emerge from Chapter 11 proceedings by merging with Vertis, a print advertising supplier with 100 locations, also emerging from Chapter 11. (?)

Digital High Speed Ink Jet

Conventional wisdom held that toner based digital printing provided the fastest output speeds consistent with quality demands.

That truism may have run its course. Digital printer manufacturers like Xerox, Kodak, and Oce are introducing high-speed, full color, roll fed ink jet printers that use permanent inks.

While generally intended for direct mail and personalized billing applications, full color book production is also being offered. Kodak claims “offset quality” from its model.

High-speed ink jet printers for digital newspaper production were shown at Drupa 2008, the world’s largest print exhibit, in June.

Paperback Dreams

A new documentary film by Alex Beckstead entitled “Paperback Dreams” chronicles 50 years of two San Fransisco independent bookstores, Cody’s Books and Kepler’s Books. It debuts in November on PBS.

UAC 2008

Ray Merriman and his crew staged a terrific convention in Denver. The unity theme seems to have renewed dialogue that was suspended years ago. (And the book room was fantastic.)

Are You A Speaker?

Publishing Business Conference is accepting speaker proposals for its annual conference in New York next March.

There’s more information at http://www.publishingbusiness.com/speakerproposals.php

Update

Quebecor World has received bankruptcy court permission to find buyers for its facilities in eight European countries. The web site no longer displays a European presence.



Thursday, May 1, 2008

Grub Street Printing Newsletter #5 May / June 2008


Borders Watch

Unlike Yahoo’s rejection of the Microsoft buyout proposal, Borders Group has been blowing kisses at Barnes & Noble as a possible suitor for some months (if not years) now.

And while it seems that Barnes & Noble has finally noticed, the prospect of the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) blessing this union seems very unlikely.


Quebecor Update

Quebecor World continued to address its bankruptcy by closing plants in Lincoln, Neb., Magog, Quebec, North Haven, Conn., and downsizing its Islington plant in Etobicoke, Ont. so far this spring.

Quebecor common stock is trading around 20¢ C, down from its $40 C high in 2002 and $15 C just a year ago.


Amazon’s Rules

In March, Amazon.com announced that any print-on-demand (POD) book sold by Amazon must be printed by Amazon subsidiary Book Surge, a POD manufacturer.Publisher associations are outraged and BookLocker.com, a well known POD producer, is suing for restraint of trade.Affected publishers are encouraged to contact the Federal Trade Commission Commission to plead their case.


Coming Soon - FSC Paper

Everyone seems concerned about their business’ environmental footprint, which explains why book paper certified by the Forest Stewardship Council is gaining in popularity.

There are a number of factors and aspects involved in certification such as:

FM – FSC Management Certified company

FM/COC – FSC Forest Mgmt. And Chain-of-Custody certified company

COC – FSC Chain of Custody certified companies

FM/COC-NTFP – FSC non-timber forest product certified company

SS – Smart Step Certified company

CW – FSC Controlled Wood certified company

VER – Verification of Legal Origin, or Legal Compliance, or other Verification programs

SL – Smart Logging certified operations

Many printers are beginning to offer FSC certified text paper at no additional charge. FSC certified post consumer recycled book paper is in the works.


PDF Proofing

When you want to take a quick look at your PDF cover file, make sure you’re using Adobe Acrobat. Adobe Reader or other PDF programs may not render your cover properly.

Saturday, March 1, 2008

Grub Street Printing Newsletter #4 March / April 2008

Whither Quebecor?

Quebecor World, North America’s second largest book printer ($678 M in 2006 book sales), which employs 58,000 in 16 countries, filed for bankruptcy protection in New York and Montreal in January and closed plants in Kingsport, Tenn., and Brookfield, Wis.

The ramifications are still roiling all parts of the industry, particularly suppliers who are owed hundreds of millions of dollars. Publishers, nervous about the outcome, have taken much of their work to other printers less likely to experience such disruption.

Quebecor World’s liquidation would turn the industry on its head and seems most unlikely. Nevertheless, when the largest printers can’t pay their bills you know that print margins remain razor thin and misreading the crystal ball can prove fatal.


u&lc Lives

One of my favorite reads used to be a magazine called u&lc (as in upper and lower case). It was, of course, intended for typographers and graphic artists, and I was (am) neither.

But the original and creative designs it showcased taught me that graphics and type aren’t two separate considerations to the designer. They exist as one to create effective, original design.

The good news is u&lc lives on at http://www.itcfonts.com/Ulc/4111/ .


Tell Them About It

Frustrated by automated answering systems with menu after menu of computer generated voice prompts? Try www.gethuman.com for the best ways to beat the prompts and talk to real live people at more than 500 companies.


Creative Co-Op Considered

Heather Buchanan Gueringer (Aquarius Press) and Nancy Feldbush (Moose Run Productions) are teaming up to explore the possibility of a Michigan-based publishers co-op initially to share marketing and mailing ideas and costs. Contact Heather at aquariuspress@sbcglobal.net for information about the April meeting.



God Bless the Independents

The news around Ann Arbor as I write this is that Borders Books is on the ropes and may be looking to be acquired, possibly by B&N.

Borders reports that it still returns around 25% of the books it orders and a number of publishers have told me that it is taking longer and longer to be paid.

On the bright side, independent bookstores seem to be making a comeback. Membership in the American Booksellers Association was down to just 1900 in 2002 but has recovered to 2209 in 2007.

If the decade-long loss of independent bookstores has finally bottomed out, it can only be a good thing for publishers and consumers.


Friday, February 1, 2008

Grub Street Printing Newsletter #3 Feb. 2008

POD vs. Digital Book Production

I’ve spoken with a number of publishers lately who assume that digital book production and Print-0n-Demand (POD) are one and the same.

Not exactly.

POD provides inventory-less book fulfillment by manufacturing only as many copies of a book as there are orders.

But books can also be made digitally in larger quantities for more traditional sales and distribution.

Run lengths that were not economical when printed on offset presses may be profitably produced digitally.

POD suppliers abound on the internet and, with one exception, offer very overpriced services to novice publishers.

GrubStreetPrinting works with a number of digital book printers that provide quick turnarounds and high quality books in print runs over 100 copies and can provide free assistance and information for digital production.

BEA - You Goin’?

Book Expo runs from May 29th to June 1st in Los Angeles.

I’d like to make sure I can spend some time with all of my friends who will be attending.

Please email me at wayne@grubstreetprinting.com if you plan on going.

Blogging

I’ve become addicted to the blogs posted at www.publishersweekly.com. I wonder if any of you currently blog about the book industry, graphic design, marketing, or ???

Our GrubStreetPrinting.com site will soon be linking to relevant blogs, especially those by our own talented group of publishers, authors and designers.

Let me know where I can find your blog and we’ ll try to get the link up as soon as possible.

Do you Skype?

If I’m at my computer I can be reached at GrubStreetPrinting.

Congratulations

…to Diana Dyer whose Swan Press (Ann Arbor, MI) has just completed it’s 11th printing of A Dietitian’s Cancer Story. The first copies date back to 1997 when Diana folded and stapled them on her kitchen table. Learn more about Diana and her book at www.cancerRD.com or you can catch up to her via her blog at www.dianadyer.blogspot.com

…and to Bob Cooper who retired from his position as director of the American Federation of Astrologers. Astrologer/Author Kris Brandt Riske and crew will be restructuring the AFA to better serve its members in the 21st Century. Check out the new website www.astrologers.com


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