Higgins & Co News

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1. 12/10/2012 12:00:00 AM Turning a PAGE on books
   published by National Post
   Turning a PAGE on books National Post The audience at Bryan Prince Bookseller in the Westdale neighbourhood of Hamilton Ont has spilled into the next room Its a windy Thursday evening in November and although the residential area is mostly quietening down the night is just getting started at the bookshopSeveral people crowd the doorway peering in where one of the founders of McMaster Universitys medical school Dr C Barber Mueller is presenting his new book Excalibur Just another full house celebrating booksYou dont hear of many good positive stories about the print side of publishing and bookstores but things are going well for us said Tracey Higgins co owner of the shop where the walls are floor to ceiling with booksIf this weeknight reading is any indication the popularity of books isnt in doubtInstead its the evolving ways books are promoted sold and consumed that has those in the publishing industry scrambling to ensure growth and for some survivalThe opening of big box retailers and an increasing use of online sites for reading and shopping in the past two decades has sent smaller businesses back to the drawing boardNow recent announcements of a game changing merger between publishing giants Random House and Penguin the filing for bankruptcy protection by BCs Douglas & McIntyre and yet another closure of a beloved local shop the 40year old Toronto Womens Bookstore have again raised fears of industry troublesThis time however many smaller players are countering in a much more positive wayI can almost foresee a rebirth of Canadian publishing coming out of this said Cynthia Good director of Humber Colleges Creative Book Publishing program and former president of Penguin Books CanadaI find this to be a very creative time and full of artistic possibilities There will be new kinds of partnerships one can imagine publishers could partner with new kinds of media or a gaming company or a bookstore she saidPartnerships have helped set Bryan Prince Bookseller apart in Hamilton The shop hosts monthly readings for the Hamilton Poetry Centre and consequently stocks a substantial poetry section that turns over well Ms Higgins said The shop also co hosts community events with A Different Drummer Books a Burlington Ont retailer bringing in big draw authors including Salman Rushdie Michael Ondaatje and Lloyd Robertson sharing expenses and salesWe have crossover in our customers we have crossover in the authors we want to bring in and theres more than enough room for us both to survive Its mutually beneficial to work together and help each other thrive Ms Higgins saidA willingness to partner is just one of several strategies used by Ian Elliot owner of A Different Drummer Books Bringing in special orders from around the world and catering to the local education market including orders for libraries and schools is also a significant part of the business he saidToronto based Second Story Press a small publishing house dedicated to feminist inspired adult and young adult books similarly targets the education market as a key part of its growth strategy For more than 20 years the publisher has been supplying books in dozens of languages in more than 50 countries including in the Brazilian and Indonesian school systemsDespite sometimes worrisome industry trends company co founder Margie Wolfe said it has been a successful year for the publishing house especially in its effort to diversify its customer base book sales in the United States have actually gone upI dont believe one strategy fits all she said Weve had nice spurts in growth in the US we continue to do well internationally books this year weve sold out in weeks and weve gone back to press Im optimistic for small publishing in CanadaSecond Story Press has also embraced the advantages of online marketing Recently it hosted a one hour webinar for 1100 librarians across North America I didnt even know what that was five years ago Ms Wolfe said In addition to sending a few hundred review copies to newspapers each year bloggers are also approaching the company And where the publishing house used to organize events and publicity for authors writers will now do.