During the pandemic, independent publishers faced a perfect storm of supplychain disruptions and rising costs. Without the economies of scale needed to secure space in crowded printing queues or negotiate favorable pricing, many small presses struggled.
Independent publishers Keith Riegert (Ulysses Press) and Alyson Forbes (Catapult Books) realized that publishers needed a more efficient way to connect with and discover print partners and streamline the quoting process. So, in 2022, they launched Perfect Bound, a software-as-service solution that empowered independent publishers of all sizes to optimize print buying from dozens of printers on one single platform. In its first year of operation, Perfect Bound generated over $1 million in business for printers while delivering significant savings to publishers on print runs.
Riegert, Perfect Bound’s CEO, explains that the company deploys a two-sided printing marketplace, in the manner of Uber or AirBNB. The platform enables publishers to launch a competitive bidding process with its network of 60 vetted printers, who often respond within 24 hours with prices, payment terms and turnaround times. Publishers can compare costs, schedules, delivery dates side by side. “Perfect Bound’s exhaustive vetting means you can work with a new partner with total peace of mind,” Riegert says.
“Perfect Bound’s printing marketplace is ideal for publishers looking to experiment with new formats, printing regions, and build new relationships with printers.”
The service supports a wide range of printing needs from premier printers around the world. On Perfect Bound, publishers can manufacture everything from paperbacks and board books to decks and oversized coffee table hardcovers. The platform seeks to cover every conceivable need in publishing: from quick digital short runs and eco-friendly packages to ultra high-end special editions (complete with rare paper and special effects).
One of Perfect Bound’s core missions is to help reduce the environmental impacts of book publishing. By providing printing partners on six continents, Perfect Bound hopes to encourage publishers to print books closer to where they will be sold, reducing shipping fees and carbon footprints. This approach will also help publishers alleviate some of the complexities and pressures around the new sourcing and production regulations effecting bookselling in Europe.
Heading into 2025, Perfect Bound has expanded well beyond the initial printing marketplace. The platform now integrates the full life cycle of a book into a single hub where publishers can manage titles, track sales and inventory, pay royalties, and receive global distribution through Perfect Bound’s partnership with Simon & Schuster. “Our mission is to give publishers full control over their data and enable them to produce books from conception to distribution all on Perfect Bound,” Riegert says. “Operating an efficient publishing house means getting away from having to use multiple SaaS tools and spreadsheets and consolidate the operation on one fully integrated platform.”
Perfect Bound acquired PubMatch, the global rights marketplace, from creator Jon Malinowski in 2024 and has plans to integrate PubMatch into the Perfect Bound system ahead of this year’s Frankfurt Book Fair.
Perfect Bound is also leaning heavily into the future of technology and has already added an AI-powered chatbot that is trained to guide users through every step of the book production process. Users can get instant answers to questions ranging from crafting a compelling strapline and selecting the optimal BISAC codes to picking the right paper for a new project.
“Perfect Bound goes beyond addressing printing challenges,” Riegert says. “It also tackles the growing complexity of managing data and workflows across multiple disconnected systems, which often leads to inefficiencies and missed opportunities for cost savings and revenue growth.”
