Even
though the physical book market is more unpredictable than ever, “print is here
to stay,” declares Stuart Applebaum, spokesman for Penguin Random House. But
that doesn’t mean it is business as usual at the country’s largest trade
publisher when it comes to its manufacturing strategy. “Our accounts are more
conservative in the amount of inventory risk they want to take on, and so are
we,” Applebaum adds. “Large print runs increasingly result in excess inventory.
Fast turns and shorter, more frequent print runs are what we need now, and our
partnerships with printers will need to reflect this new paradigm.”
Printing flexibility is important because evidence continues to mount showing that sales of e-books are much deeper in some categories than in others.
Printing flexibility is important because evidence continues to mount showing that sales of e-books are much deeper in some categories than in others.
