The ability to seize opportunities quickly and to operate more efficiently in the face of extremely difficult market conditions was key for the independent presses that made PW’s annual fast-growing list this year.
Morgan James founder David Hancock admits he was “nervous going into 2009, but tickled with how we finished.” The struggling economy prompted Hancock to lower his cost base as well as move more of the publisher’s titles from hardcover to trade paperback. For the most part, Hancock says, “hardcovers just sat there,” which led him to reprint a number of MJ’s titles in trade paperback within a few months rather than wait a year. In 2010, many of the company’s new titles will originate as trade paperback. Last year also saw MJ curtail its involvement in the spiritual and Christian market, while opening a new sports imprint with Rick Horrow, president of Horrow Sports Ventures. Return of the Gold, the first title from the Sports Professor imprint, was MJ’s third bestselling title last year, following Outrageous Advertising That’s Outrageously Successful and How I Made My First Million on the Internet and How You Can Too!
Hancock says that in 2010 he will keep the list focused on business and sports. The current year will also see MJ move more aggressively into the digital arena. The company’s titles are distributed by Ingram Publisher Services, and Hancock is using Ingram to convert 10—15 titles per month to digital formats that can be used on different platforms. Through the early part of 2010, business continues to grow steadily for MJ, with units up by more than 11,000 and returns cut in half. “We are very excited about 2010,” Hancock says.
Source: Carpe Diem