Two years ago, David Borgenicht founded Quirk Books with the idea that a playful sensibility could mean serious business. The packager-author behind Chronicle Books' Worst-Case Scenario series had found success with his own brand of irreverent reference (he dubbed it irreference) and wanted to see how far he could stretch it. "How-to books don't have to be boring, and humor books don't have to be useless" was his mission, as he launched a list with books on found pop lyrics and products seen on TV.
Several lists in and the start-up label safely behind him, Borgenicht's ethos remains whimsical, but his business has decidedly grown up. Growth has exceeded expectations, but as other publishers creep in on his niche, he's had to tweak everything from his editorial mission to his accounts.
Perhaps the biggest problem Borgenicht faced is that some of his trademark hybrids don't work quite as well as they once did. That's partly because large houses have not been deaf to his successes—last year, for instance, Vintage brought out the Hipster Handbook, which owed plenty to the Borgenicht sensibility—and partly because the novelty has faded. (The scratch-'n'-sniff book Instant Aromatherapy, for instance, didn't sell as well as he would have liked, Borgenicht acknowledged.)
Faced with this, Borgenicht moved his books away from irreverence and more solidly into reference. Some of the biggest books on his current list: a guide to beer and a guide to the first 100 days after a breakup. But the real key to his expansion lies with his accounts. Already familiar with nontraditional outlets from his days at Running Press, about a third of total revenue now comes from them. "Restoration Hardware, Urban Outfitters, Petco," Borgenicht said, listing outlets where his books are carried. "I always wanted to create books and a company that was healthy, and to me that meant not relying on any one market channel, especially the trade."
The adjustments appear to have worked. Sales for 2003 were $3.5 million. Staff has almost doubled since founding, up to 17 employees. With 24 titles last year, he topped the target he publicly set two years ago of 20 titles.
Borgenicht also confirms that he has sold one of Quirk's books to the Oxygen cable network for a pilot that will air in the fall. Quirk is actually helping to develop the show and will be involved in it further if Oxygen picks it up for a series. And he has greater ambitions. "The end goal is that we can do enough of these that Quirk actually becomes a producer of original content [of shows], ultimately not based on a book," Borgenicht said.
