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By David F. Dawes
AS some cultural observers bemoan the decline of print media, certain
enterprising souls are finding creative ways to market books. They are also
finding new audiences for authors whose books have fallen off the radar of the
online generation.
Two such individuals are Bill Reimer, head of Regent College Publishing in
Vancouver; and Rob Clements, who operates Clements Publishing in Toronto, and
provides editorial and production services for Regent.
Both specialize in out-of-print Christian academic books.
“There’s quite a demand for theological literature,” Clements told BCCN. He noted one good reason for the enduring attraction of books such as Calvin’s Institutes of Religion: “The content doesn’t change as much as, say, biochemistry.”
The demand, said Reimer, “is ongoing. For the most part, it happens in small quantities. Electronic
publishing allows books to be indefinitely in print.”
On-demand printing technology enables publishers to produce any quantity of
copies of a particular book – or as few as one. Regent Publishing’s operation is entirely ‘print on demand.’
“We don’t have a conventional publishing infrastructure,” said Reimer. “Regent supplies PDFs directly to our distributors, and they do the printing on
our behalf.”
While the print on demand approach is still not widely known, it has been around
for well over a decade. “This was relatively new technology, when we began using it in 1996. It allows us to have global reach, and do creative publishing.”
Clements said his company gets small orders “all the time. Last year, we printed 25,000 books – some in batches, and a number of them singles.”
Regent’s authors range from local pastors to semi-legendary fantasists. “Darrell Johnson is our biggest selling author,” said Reimer. “We also have four of Charles Williams’ fantasies, plus his Descent of the Dove.”
One of Regent’s more remarkable publications, he said, is Paul Schneider: Witness of Buchenwald, by Rudolf Wentorf.
“Schneider was a confessing pastor, who died in Buchenwald in 1939. He was one of
the first Christian martyrs of the war. The book contains his letters and
sermons.”
“We have over 300 books; the majority of them are reprints,” said Reimer. “We also do original publishing.”
Additionally, they partner with other publishers. Recently, co-publishing has
helped them release Finding the Will of God, by Bruce Waltke; and Listening to the Spirit in the Text, by Gordon Fee.
“We’ve brought 400 books back into print,” said Clements, “significant evangelical texts such as the work of Harry Blamires, a friend of
C.S. Lewis.” One of Blamires’ books, The Christian Mind, “is a watershed book. It’s 40 years old, and still sells well.”
Additionally, Clements said, “we’ve tried to become a literary platform for the Regent faculty – authors such as J.I. Packer and Eugene Peterson.” He cited other B.C. writers such as Mike Mason, Mike Goheen and Ward Gasque.
They also publish the work of renowned figures such as Mark Noll, author of The Scandal of the Evangelical Mind; and Malcolm Muggeridge, author of Christ and the Media.
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And what of work by new authors?
“We don’t actively solicit it,” said Reimer. “We would certainly take a look at the work of a successful author.”
“Right now, we’re not accepting any – given the economic situation,” said Clements. “We’re a niche publisher, and have no plans to rise above that.”
“It’s a small niche, for the most part,” said Reimer. However, both companies have a sufficiently long reach. “Our books are readily available in North America.”
“We sell more into the U.S.,” said Clements. “Only 50 percent of Clements Publishing is Canadian.” As for distribution, he said: “Almost all roads lead to Nashville.”
The print on demand approach, Clements noted, has been a good strategy for
cultivating his particular clientele.
“The entire book industry is being hit hard by Amazon,” said Clements. “Seminary students – highly educated and computer literate – want to save money. They know how to shop around, rather than go to the local
Christian store.”
However, he said, operations such as his and Reimer’s have some advantages.
“We don’t have a lot of money tied up by inventory,” said Clements. “Print on demand is a more medieval concept.” A single book, he said, “can be printed within eight hours, and moved to the distributor within 24 hours.
“If you’re not warehousing and insuring books, you save money.
“We’re guerilla publishers – we get the books out, run for cover, and see what happens.”
January 2010
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