After a dip in sales in September and October following the terrorist attacks, business came "roaring back" in November and December at the Taunton Press, book group publisher Jim Childs told PW. Childs had no doubt that the national mood swing toward home and hearth benefited Taunton, whose list features titles on home design and related areas. The 10% sales growth for Taunton during the year "showed that people were willing to spend time and energy on their homes," Childs said.
Taunton's big book for the fall was The Cabin, which has sold 50,000 copies since October. All five titles in the company's The Idea Book series sold more than 100,000 copies last year, and all three titles in a new Complete Illustrated Guide to Woodworking line hit Amazon.com's home and garden bestsellers list. The company also enjoyed solid backlist sales led by The Not So Big House and Creating the Not So Big House, which have combined to sell more than 500,000 copies. Taunton's lavishly illustrated books have largely escaped the price resistance being felt by some other publishers: The Cabin sells for $34.95, while the woodworking titles are priced at $40. Childs attributes the acceptance of Taunton's home titles to their practical content; the books are written by architects and professional writers.
Taunton's titles, which have always done well in home centers and specialty retailer markets, had a 20% sales increase last year through the book trade, while returns fell by 10%. Childs credits Publishers Group West with Taunton's success in the trade market, and Taunton has become one of PGW's top five clients.
Childs said that the momentum Taunton picked up in the last two months of 2001 has carried through into the first six weeks of 2002. "We're seeing a fair number of reorders," Childs said. Taunton will publish about 50 titles this year and 55 in 2003. Childs thinks Taunton could have a major bestseller this fall with Patterns of Home, a book that "could change the way people think about their homes," Childs said. Later in the fall, Taunton will introduce the first book in its Updating Classic America line. The series, which will feature books on how to update bungalows, Capes, colonials and ranches, was originally set to be released last year, but was delayed. "The architects underestimated how long it would take" to write the books, Childs explained.
