Two independent publishers have launched an online marketplace, Perfect Bound, that matches publishers with printers in hopes of creating faster and cheaper printing runs. The system has been in beta testing since February and has processed a half million dollars in orders and shipped more than a quarter million units. One of the founders says his printing costs have come down since using the system. Publishers and printers can join the marketplace for free; in 2024, printers must pay Perfect Bound 2 cents per unit once a print run has been executed.
Jane Friedman has spent her entire career working in the publishing industry, with a focus on business reporting and author education. Established in 2015, her newsletter The Bottom Line provides nuanced market intelligence to thousands of authors and industry professionals; in 2023, she was named Publishing Commentator of the Year by Digital Book World.
Jane’s expertise regularly features in major media outlets such as The New York Times, The Atlantic, NPR, The Today Show, Wired, The Guardian, Fox News, and BBC. Her book, The Business of Being a Writer, Second Edition (The University of Chicago Press), is used as a classroom text by many writing and publishing degree programs. She reaches thousands through speaking engagements and workshops at diverse venues worldwide, including NYU’s Advanced Publishing Institute, Frankfurt Book Fair, and numerous MFA programs.
