Located in an old ski lodge in Vermont, 63-year-old outdoor recreation and guidebook publisher Countryman Press is adjusting to life under W.W. Norton, which acquired the press in 1995, and is launching an ambitious program to repackage its popular outdoor guidebooks for a new generation of consumers.
Norton acquired the company from Peter Jennison, who had revived the dormant press in 1973. In the 1980s, Countryman published the first of its Backcountry Guides and Christina Tree's Explorer's Guide series, which continue to be the backbone of CP's list. The Explorer's Guides, which have sold more than 250,000 copies to date, offer tips on food and lodging throughout the New England states. The Backcountry series focuses on outdoor recreation for birders, can rs, hikers and bicyclists. It has also sold well, with sales of its 50 Hikes books alone surpassing the 500,000-copy mark.
Now, under Norton's watchful marketing eye, the press is repackaging 75 of its bestselling Explorer's and Backcountry guidebooks. Countryman typically publishes about 25 books a year, and the project should give new life to the backlist and to the press as a whole.
"We always keep the guides up-to- date in terms of content," noted Countryman editor-in-chief Helen Whybrow, "but now we're bringing them up-to-date with a new design."
The new Countryman also continues to make room for such strong regional titles as Charles Fish's Blue Ribbons and Burlesque: A Book of Country Fairs, which was named Best Illustrated Vermont Book of the Year.
Norton president Drake McFeely told PW that Countryman was an attractive acquisition that needed better distribution. "They had been underrepresented in chain superstores and at independents across the country," he explained.
Whybrow gives Norton high marks on managing the acquisition of Countryman: "They've been supportive, giving us autonomy and keeping our Vermont address. It's remarkable how wonderful they've been."
