To the future of book publishing… C&T Publishing says “bring it on!”

Sept. 23, 2010 - PRLog -- Media Contact: Megan Wisniewski
925-677-0377x253
meganw@ctpub.com


To the future of book publishing…
C&T Publishing says “bring it on!”

   CONCORD, CA, March 22, 2010—In January 2008, Publisher Amy Marson pondered the future of C&T Publishing. http://www.ctpub.com/ C&T was struggling with flat sales in the quilting and craft industries, as well as in the book trade. Marson allowed her team to blame the poor economical conditions for a while, but still believed the real issue was that the company was not prepared for the vast changes happening in the publishing world. After hearing the excuse of “a bad economy” one too many times, she made a decision to take the future of the company into her own hands.

Marson called a company meeting during the second quarter of 2008, in which she officially declared war on the way things have always been. “The status quo is not working, so we must change it.  We must take a stand to change the direction of C&T Publishing.  I believe that we must adapt to the shifting paradigm of publishing and prepare for the future as a smarter, more proactive company.”

This declaration led to a company-wide effort to completely change the way the organization was run. Marson encouraged everyone on her team to generate as many new ideas as they could imagine, both for themselves individually and for their departments, then take action on them.  These ideas became known as “status quo busters.” Staff was now expected to think outside the box and always speak from a place of fact, not assumption.

During 2008 and 2009, everyone made huge adjustments. Every single day, new ideas were discussed and new action plans were initiated. In that time period, C&T Publishing went from being a book publisher to being a content provider.

Here are just some of the successful status quo busters that changed the face of C&T for the better:
•   First iPhone app was developed  http://www.ctpub.com/client/client_pages/iphoneapps.cfm
•   First blog and social media sites were created
http://www.ctpubblog.com/
•   Website was redesigned to be more user-friendly
•   First eBooks were launched
http://www.ctpub.com/showproducts.cfm?WPCID=1149
•   Print-on-Demand option was created for out-of-print titles
•   Book trailers videos were introduced as marketing tools
http://www.ctpub.com/client/client_pages/video_library.cfm
•   New book trade distributor was signed
•   New Special Sales channels were developed
•   Sales and Marketing roles were restructured to be more supportive of each other

New technologies and training tools were researched and implemented in all areas of the company, improving every effort from editorial and marketing to sales and shipping:
•   Exponentially increased publicity efforts and developed tracking measurements—the dollar value of C&T’s publicity per quarter is now 3x greater than what is spent on advertising for the whole year
•   Products are produced greener and more efficiently
•   More targeted acquisitions approach is to become a “category killer”
•   Improved editorial and digital asset management tactics
•   Special company-wide  training on making powerful requests, dealing with upsets, and time management
•   Interdepartmental teams set up to accomplish multiple goals at the same time

After just two years, Marson and her team have increased the company’s profitability by over 200%.

By responding to change and refusing to be victimized by a shaky economy, C&T is once again positioned as a strong, successful, and resilient company. After seeing the powerful results of their hard work, each and every employee is more enthusiastic, motivated, and dedicated than ever before. In 2009, C&T Publishing was honored to be recognized as one of the “Top 10 Publishing Companies to Work For” by Book Business Magazine.


            About C&T Publishing

For over 25 years, C&T Publishing has been the industry leader, providing exceptional books and products to the quilting and fiber arts markets worldwide.

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Since its founding in 1983, C&T Publishing has become the industry leader for providing exceptional books and products to the quilting, paper craft, and fiber art markets throughout the United States and internationally.