Many veterans of publishing tell us of the monumental changes that have occurred within our industry over the past few years. As a 35-year participant in this industry, I suspect I would concur. But as we approach a new millennium, we can see many, many other changes all around us. Has the automobile industry changed? …

PUBLISHED DECEMBER 1996 by Curt Matthews, IPG/Chicago Review Press Of course we all know now that as independent publishers we should exploit niches and practice niche marketing of our books. But what exactly is a niche, and how can you tell a good niche from a bad one? A useful place to start is with a …

PUBLISHED OCTOBER 1996 by Ivan Hoffman, Publishing Attorney — It frequently seems that book publishers are not in the business of selling books. Rather, it often appears that they are in the business of consigning books. Although the paperwork may be marked “INVOICE,” the reality is that some or indeed all of the books represented …

PUBLISHED SEPTEMBER 1996 by Curt Matthews, Chicago Review Press In last month’s newsletter, I complained about the propensity of small presses to complain about irritating aspects of the book business that can not be changed. This time I want to take a hard look at what may well be the leading subject of such complaints: …

PUBLISHED SEPTEMBER 1996 by Eugene Schwartz, President, Consortium House When I first started my career in the printing business in New York City (after abandoning my civil engineering and public administration goals), I started selling for a $35-a-week draw against commissions. We did our own estimating, and my boss, Ozzie Schroeder, who could practically make …

PUBLISHED AUGUST 1996 by Curt Matthews, Chairman, Board of Chicago Review; Independent Publishers Group Is there a secret to success in publishing? Or perhaps seven habits, or a thirty-day, or -minute, or -second plan that will insure success? I don’t think so. The truth is that absolutely no one in our business knows what makes …

PUBLISHED JULY 1996 by Ivan Hoffman, Publishing Attorney — We often hear about book royalties in a fashion that is illusory. To discuss a royalty rate without at the same time discussing the basis for the rate’s calculation is like comparing apples to oranges. To banter about numbers like 8%, 9%, 17% or such is …

PUBLISHED JUNE 1996 by Meredith Rutter, President, Publicom, Inc. Publicom works with many writers, editors, designers, and artists under Work for Hire clauses as part of the way we operate when providing publishing services to textbook publishers. We are under a Work for Hire contract with those educational publishers ourselves, and so we must have …

PUBLISHED JUNE 1996 by Robert C. Brenner, President, Brenner Information Group The entrepreneurial playing field is littered with the debris of failed publishing businesses. Yet I wonder how many of these companies would have survived, or prospered, if their owners had listened to the marketplace. Listening is not easy. It’s a skill, a science, and …

PUBLISHED MAY 2016 by Robert C. Brenner, President, Brenner Information Group Based on what he had learned about how to forecast future trends, John took action to apply his new skill. He collected subjective and empirical data on the nation, the state, and his local area. He wanted to identify business opportunities. As part of …