Amanda Regan Master of Publishing

DATA-DRIVEN PUBLISHING: USING SELL-THROUGH DATA AS A TOOL FOR EDITORIAL STRATEGY AND DEVELOPING LONG-TERM BESTSELLERS by AMANDA REGAN B.A. (Communication), Simon Fraser University, 2006 Project Submitted in Partial Fulfilment of the Requirements for the Degree of MASTER OF PUBLISHING in the Canadian Centre for Studies in Publishing Faculty of Communication, Art and Technology © Amanda Regan 2012 Simon Fraser University Spring 2012 All rights reserved. However, in accordance with the Copyright Act of Canada, this work may be reproduced, without authorization, under the conditions for “Fair Dealing.” Therefore, limited reproduction of this work for the purposes of private study, research, criticism, review and news reporting is likely to be in accordance with the law, particularly if cited appropriately. APPROVAL name: Amanda Regan degree: Master of Publishing title of project: Data-Driven Publishing: Using Sell-Through Data as a Tool for Editorial Strategy and Developing Long-Term Bestsellers supervisory committee: John Maxwell, PhD Senior Supervisor Assistant Professor, Publishing Program Simon Fraser University Rowland Lorimer, PhD Supervisor Professor and Director, Publishing Program Simon Fraser University Jamie Broadhurst Industry Supervisor Vice President of Marketing, Raincoast Books Richmond, British Columbia date approved: January 19, 2012 ii Declaration of Partial Copyright Licence The author, whose copyright is declared on the title page of this work, has granted to Simon Fraser University the right to lend this thesis, project or extended essay to users of the Simon Fraser University Library, and to make partial or single copies only for such users or in response to a request from the library of any other university, or other educational institution, on its own behalf or for one of its users. The author has further granted permission to Simon Fraser University to keep or make a digital copy for use in its circulating collection (currently available to the public at the “Institutional Repository” link of the SFU Library website <www.lib.sfu.ca> at: <http://ir.lib.sfu.ca/handle/1892/112>) and, without changing the content, to translate the thesis/project or extended essays, if technically possible, to any medium or format for the purpose of preservation of the digital work. The author has further agreed that permission for multiple copying of this work for scholarly purposes may be granted by either the author or the Dean of Graduate Studies. It is understood that copying or publication of this work for financial gain shall not be allowed without the author’s written permission. Permission for public performance, or limited permission for private scholarly use, of any multimedia materials forming part of this work, may have been granted by the author. This information may be found on the separately catalogued multimedia material and in the signed Partial Copyright Licence. While licensing SFU to permit the above uses, the author retains copyright in the thesis, project or extended essays, including the right to change the work for subsequent purposes, including editing and publishing the work in whole or in part, and licensing other parties, as the author may desire. The original Partial Copyright Licence attesting to these terms, and signed by this author, may be found in the original bound copy of this work, retained in the Simon Fraser University Archive. Simon Fraser University Library Burnaby, BC, Canada Last revision: Spring 09 ABSTRACT This report examines how sell-through reporting has revolutionized the editorial, marketing, publicity, and sales strategies of Sourcebooks and Raincoast Books since the introduction of BookScan and BookNet. It analyzes how Sourcebooks developed its line of college-bound books through data analysis, using Harlan Cohen’s The Naked Roommate as a case study to learn the strategies that the publisher implemented to grow the title into a New York Times bestseller after six years over four editions. The report also explores how Raincoast Books, the distributor of Sourcebooks titles in Canada, analyzes sell-through data to identify concerns in the book’s performance, and its plans to fix the issues. The main goal of this report is to offer insight into the ways that various departments of a publishing house can practically analyze sales data and utilize the information creatively and strategically to grow its editorial vision, guide its marketing decisions, and improve book sales. Keywords: book publishing sales data analysis sell-through data books – editorial strategy books – marketing books – publicity iii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I would like to thank Jamie Broadhurst, Danielle Johnson, Siobhan Rich, Elizabeth Kemp, Crystal Allen, Peter MacDougall, Chelsea Theriault, and everyone at Raincoast Books for your warm welcome and assistance during my internship and for being willing to answer my questions. Special thanks to Jamie for helping me to formulate the topic for my report, and for your invaluable input and insight into the world of book marketing and publicity. I would like to thank Todd Stocke at Sourcebooks for taking the time to share your publishing experiences. It is very much appreciated. Thanks also to Heidi Weiland for helping to connect me with the right staff person at Sourcebooks. To the MPub folks, my thanks to John Maxwell and Rowland Lorimer for your input and guidance in completing this report, and to the rest of the faculty and Jo-Anne Ray for your advice and assistance throughout the program. To my husband, Tyler, thank you for your unwavering support, love, and understanding throughout my time in grad school. It is what kept me going. iv TABLE OF CONTENTS pages contents ii Approval iii Abstract iv Acknowledgements v Table of Contents vii List of Figures viii List of Tables 1 Introduction 2 About this Report 2 Overview of the Topic 4 I – The Impact of Sell-Through Reporting on the Business of Book Publishing 6 Impact on Editorial Acquisitions 9 Impact on Marketing, Publicity, and Sales Functions 14 II – Leveraging Sell-Through Data at Sourcebooks and Raincoast Books 14 Overview of Sourcebooks 16 Overview of Raincoast Books 18 Leveraging Sell-Through Data 25 III – Case Study: The Naked Roommate by Harlan Cohen 25 Beginnings of the Sourcebooks College Vertical 27 About Harlan Cohen 28 Selling The Naked Roommate in the United States 34 Selling The Naked Roommate in Canada v 42 IV – Review and Analysis 42 A Successful Vertical Strategy 45 Considerations for the College Vertical in the Canadian Market 46 Considerations for Other Book Categories and Publishing Scenarios 49 Conclusion Appendices 51 A: US Marketing, Publicity and Sales Promotion Campaign 53 B: Fourth Edition Press Release 55 C: Sourcebooks Catalogue Features 56 D: Fourth Edition New York Times Bestseller Press Release 57 E: US Media Coverage and Public Relations Events Confirmed 58 F: Raincoast Books Spring 2011 Graduation Promotion 60 G: Canadian Press Release 62 H: Canadian Media Targeted for Publicity Mailings 65 I: Canadian Media Coverage and Public Relations Events Confirmed 66 J: Sample Topics and Questions for Author Interview 67 References vi LIST OF FIGURES pages figures name of figure 26 Figure 1 Sales Cycle of College Guides 30 Figure 2 Sales Cycle of College Survival and Success Books vii LIST OF TABLES pages tables information 18 Table 3.1 Three streams of data that Raincoast Books provides to its publishers 23 Table 3.2 Items listed on Raincoast Books’ Major Sales Grid 31 Table 4.1 Publication dates for in the United States 35 Table 4.2 Fall enrolments in degree-granting institutions in the United States 35 Table 4.3 University enrolment in Canada 36 Table 4.4 College enrolment in Canada viii INTRODUCTION The book publishing industry has gone through major changes over the past few decades with the contraction of traditional media outlets and the expansion of new technologies. The persistent issues of poor supply chain practices and massive returns continue to this day. Now added to that are the questions and concerns over adapting to new technologies such as ebooks, web publishing and social media. Technology is always evolving and publishers are expected to be open to adapt to change to keep their businesses thriving. In the past decade since the turn of the century, one major development in the book publishing industry in North America is the establishment of sell-through data reporting services. Sell-through data, also known as point-of-sale (pos) data, is the information collected at the point when the final business-to-consumer (b2c) sales transaction occurs during checkouts at retail outlets, where the ownership, and typically the possession, of the product is transferred from the seller to the consumer, as opposed to the business-to-business (b2b) sales transaction from the publisher into the bookstore (Wikipedia, “Point of Sale”; BusinessDictionary.com). Sell-through data reveals where, when, and how many copies of a product, in this case a book, is bought by a customer at a retailer. Nielsen BookScan and BookNet Canada are the organizations that respectively provide American and Canadian book sales data to their industry subscribers. Prior to this, publishers often acted in the dark and could only find out about how their books were doing via returns, which sometimes came back months later. They would have had to maintain close relationships with retailers to keep tabs on how their own titles were doing on a regular, weekly basis. It was a time- consuming process. Now, sell-through reporting services allow publishers to track the performance of not only their own titles, but also those from their competitors, in a timely manner. This development has had significant implications within the industry, and has influenced all aspects of book publishing, from editorial to marketing and sales departments. As with all advancements in technology, there is need for continued research, gathering of information and understanding of best practices to shape the future of the book and the publishing business in the midst of these changes.

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