PUBLISHED JULY/AUGUST 2019 by Deb Vanasse, Reporter, IBPA Independent magazine — Increasingly, consumers recognize the climate threats posed by shrinking forests and ecologically destructive practices. By making environmentally friendly choices, publishers can help mitigate these problems while also building goodwill and protecting their supply chain. After all, print publishing depends on trees, so it only …

PUBLISHED JUNE 2017 by Karla Olson, Director, Patagonia Books As a small publisher, you have to depend on many in the industry for expertise and best practices on the myriad aspects of the publishing process. This can lead to a cacophony of opinions and advice at every stage, from good writing and professional editing to …

PUBLISHED DECEMBER 2016 by Elizabeth Turnbull, Senior Editor/Partner, Light Messages Publishing — Nearly all independent publishers today must wrestle with the question that plagues the production of every title: print on demand (POD) or offset printing? With a few exceptions, such as board books, gift books, or high-end coffee table books, nearly every title produced …

PUBLISHED DECEMBER 2016 by Deb Vanasse, IBPA Independent staff reporter The flexible nature of independent publishing allows you to select the processes and printers that match your needs. To paraphrase Mark Twain’s famous quip, rumors of the death of print have been greatly exaggerated. As technological advances improve the quality and cost of production, print …

PUBLISHED DECEMBER 2016 by Todd Pollack, Director, Green Press Initiative In 2006, Random House became the first large publisher to adopt a formal environmental policy, but many independent publishers were using environmentally responsible paper long before then and helped demonstrate that using such paper in books was possible and economically feasible. Since 2006, most of …

Show rather than tell. That might be the motto of Insight Editions, where video and other visuals are key to selling pop-up and lavishly illustrated movie tie-in books. These are among the best ways to highlight titles with special features, special trim sizes, and removable elements, company executives say, and sales figures prove the point. …

Thomas Woll, the president of Cross River Publishing Consultants, Inc., has been a vice president and general manager at John Wiley & Sons, vice president and publisher at Storey Communications/Garden Way, and vice president and publisher of the Rodale Press book division. This article is derived from the new, fifth edition of his book Publishing for Profit: Successful Bottom-Line …

Peter Goodman’s article Printing in China: Is It Wise? Is It Safe? (Independent, August 2013] is brilliant. Although I deal with media liability insurance, I can report that insurance is available for publishers who do business in foreign countries and who might suffer lost profits and unbudgeted expenses as a result of an overseas printer going up …

coBoard Member’s Memo Printing in China: Is It Wise? Is It Safe? August 2013 by Peter Goodman Should you print your books in China? According to PrintNinja.com, an online U.S.–based print broker, the world’s very first printed book was produced in China in C.E. 868, so “it only makes sense” to print there now, “back …

PUBLISHED JUNE 2013 by Linda Nix, Founder, Golden Orb Creative — I can’t imagine a world without books. I’ve been a bookworm since I was three years old. My Ph.D. thesis was on book production in the early Middle Ages, and the interplay between text (the content), format (the materials), and layout (the design). That …