Ever since Norton acquired Woodstock, Vt.'s Countryman Press a decade ago, titles such as The King Arthur Flour Baker's Companion and John Villani's The 100 Best Art Towns in America have benefited from the much stronger national sales opportunity provided by Norton. But there has been a downside—the company's regional sales have slipped.
To remedy that, Countryman editorial director Kermit Hummel and publicity and marketing manager David Corey are planning a road trip this spring up the New England coast to promote Elizabeth Bougerol's New England's Favorite Seafood Shacks: Eating Up the Coast from Connecticut to Maine (June), along with the entire Countryman list. The pair will rent a van with ample space for Countryman's New England titles, POP counter displays for New England's Favorite Seafood Shacks and plaques that they will hand out at every shack featured in the book.
In addition to stopping at the shacks, the duo will visit bookstores that have scheduled an appearance with the author, who will join them for part of the tour. They will also look to open up new Countryman accounts at smaller bookstores that don't have Norton accounts, as well as in drugstores and hardware stores. "We're seeing this as an opportunity to find potential buyers in niches that just don't conform to the bestselling book strategies," said Hummel. If Hummel and company get an order, they will fill it on the spot and let the folks back in the office handle the paperwork. If the New England trip is successful, Hummel is looking to extend the van run to other parts of the country where the press has a strong cluster of titles.
While Countryman looks to return to its regional selling roots, it is also moving back to its first home. Next year Countryman will return to the historic hamlet of Taftsville, Vt., where former PW editor Peter Jennison and his wife, Jane Jennison, started the press in 1973.
