Emmis Books, launched earlier this year by parent company Emmis Communications, could have a hit with its second title, the autobiography of former Detroit Lions running back Barry Sanders. Now You See Him: The Story of Barry Sanders in His Own Words, scheduled to be released on Thanksgiving, has prepub orders of 55,000, said Richard Hunt, the former F&W Publications executive who is now president and publisher of Emmis Books.
"We did not anticipate such a big press run our first season, and for our second book. It's hard to quantify when you first start out," said Hunt. "It's hard to imagine having to go from zero to 55,000 so quickly. But we are small and nimble. We can turn around quickly and meet the demand. And, though we are small and new on the playing field, we already know we have to act like a big entity, in terms of our publicity efforts. It's an uphill battle, but it's something that can be overcome. We expect the Sanders book to open a lot of doors."
Not only does the press regard its small size as an asset, it perceives its Cincinnati location, where its offices are in an old firehouse, as crucial to its success. "We know and talk to the regional booksellers, we know and talk to the regional media," said Hunt. "We can focus on what we are doing, yet stay in touch with our market. One real benefit of being in the center of the country is perspective. Out here, we're reminded daily that you have to get the book on the shelf by having a promotion plan supporting it."
Hunt regards the emergence of small, but high-powered, presses in different parts of the country as part of a trend that is accelerating as New York publishers continue to consolidate and focus on publishing bestsellers by big-name authors. "It's doable for small presses outside the New York publishing scene to make a big splash in a short amount of time."
The Emmis Books team has five full-time employees. Joining Hunt are Jack Heffron, editorial director; Dana Boll, designer; Katie Parker, sales director; and Howard Cohen, publicity director. The five total more than 100 years experience in publishing and bookselling, Hunt noted.
There are 22 titles on Emmis's debut title list this season. The press intends to publish 18 to 24 titles next season. "We are doing 15 months of publishing compressed into four months," Hunt told PW. He envisions publishing up to three nonfiction titles per month, both Midwest regional and national titles. To help convince authors to sign with Emmis, Hunt said the publisher will actively market a title for two full seasons. "We will do everything we can to promote our titles for months beyond the pub date," he said.
Hunt acknowledged that being part of a larger corporation has its advantages. "We don't have to make decisions on a cash-flow basis. That certainly makes our lives easier, being able to make decisions on print runs and advertising without having to count our pennies first." Hunt added, "Emmis Communications is an individualistic company. They love to take chances. We fit right into the company."
