February 20, 2006
By the book | Ronnie Sellers Productions looks to new products to sustain growth in the book and calendar publishing market
By Kirah Brouillette
The tiny Ronnie Sellers Productions outlet store in Portland is jammed full of colorful books, calendars and greeting cards, all offered at half-off retail. With so many low-priced titles on display, it's easy to feel transported to an elementary school book fair. But with titles like Mom This Joke's For You and The Daily Hunk, it's clear that many of RSP's tongue-in-cheek products are made with its customer's inner-child in mind.
Located adjacent to the company's West Commercial Street offices in the old Portland Match Company building, the new outlet store offers the chance for the company to gain valuable customer feedback on its products through a "more direct interaction with consumers," says Ronnie Sellers, RSP's owner and founder. Although the company missed most of this year's holiday shopping season by opening a few weeks before Christmas, the appeal of on-site feedback and additional sales is strong enough that RSP is planning to double the size of the retail store this spring.
Though Sellers is excited about expansion, retail is only a small part of his plan to buoy revenues at his already successful multi-product publishing company. Thanks to the success of its calendar and book lines, Ronnie Sellers Productions in 2003 and 2004 was named one of the fastest growing small publishers in the nation by Publisher's Weekly.
And with 2005 revenue growth of 21%, Sellers hopes to make that list again.
To do that, Sellers plans to follow the same strategy he's had all along ˆ a mixture of strong product lines and careful planning for the future. By introducing new, though familiar, products to RSP's book and calendar lines, Sellers believes he can broaden RSP's reach without making drastic changes in direction and execution.
Specifically, Sellers points to a few concepts being released this year: an RSP version of the popular 365-day tear-off box calendars and an expansion of its niche book line, which grew 87% in 2005. These new ideas are expected to help the company reach its goal of 30% revenue growth this year, Sellers says. "You don't have to be Random House to have a good idea," Sellers says "And we've got plenty [of good ideas]."
In fact, publishing experts say, small, diversified publishers like RSP have enjoyed some of the fastest growth in the publishing industry in recent years. Although the publishing industry doesn't maintain market statistics on the small versus large publisher market share, Jim Milliot, news director and staff writer for Publisher's Weekly, noted that RSP's annual revenue increases are "miles above" the industry rate of three to four percent a year. "You'll never see Random House doubling its size in five years [like RSP] has," Milliot says.
Milliot cites RSP's "mini-conglomerate" approach to publishing as a driver of the company's growth. Most small-publishing houses, Milliot says, deal with books only, making it difficult to compete against big publishers whose vast and varied book catalogs allow them to dominate every field in the book market. Instead, RSP's focus on calendars, niche books and greeting cards allows it to sell a variety of products to a range of different stores.
For example, RSP sells to gift, stationery and independent bookstores while at the same time occupying space at chains like Border's. That makes RSP stand out even among other small, fast-growing publishers like Barefoot Books, a children's book publisher in Cambridge, Mass., whose 2004 revenue growth nearly matched RSP's at 17%, according to Publisher's Weekly.
However, there are pitfalls to RSP's expansion efforts. For small publishers, Milliot says, there's a risk in growing too fast. Creating too many products that are too expensive to maintain ˆ combined with hurried expansion of buildings, printing runs and warehouses ˆ can destroy a small publisher. "It's happened too many times to count [in publishing]," Milliot said. "A business gets some success, expands too quickly and then dies."
Cats, golf and other obsessions
Ronnie Sellers is a man of contrast ˆ his serious Brooks Brothers suit and black-framed reading glasses suggest someone more infatuated with Wall Street than wall calendars. At first, it's hard to envision him creating a product line that includes, among other themes, napping kittens, frolicking wood-fairies and the popular "Biddies" and "Coots"ˆ a line that examines Grandma and Grandpa's oddities.
But behind Sellers' financier appearance exists a book-lover and author of a handful of children's books who got his start in the greeting card business in 1976, as co-owner of Renaissance Greeting Card Company.
In 1993, after selling Renaissance to FTD Inc., Sellers decided to create his own company with the development and success of his first calendar, Cat Codependents. Dedicated to the idiosyncrasies of obsessive cat lovers, the idea for the calendar came to him at a book signing after he was asked to sign 12 of his children's books for a woman's 12 cats. "I realized there was a market [for animal lovers] that hadn't been tapped into yet." Sellers says.
Within one year, he had found permanent shelf space at Walden Books in Portland, and by year three, RSP had moved from an extra bedroom in his home in Cape Elizabeth to offices in Portland. Since then, Sellers and his team of 30 employees have added greeting cards, books, planners and games to the company's product list, culminating in what Sellers refers to as "five years of a rapid growth mode."
For example, RSP's revenues increased 65% from 2002-2004, according to Publisher's Weekly, spurred by best-selling titles like 1001 Golf Courses You Must Play Before You Die, which sold more than 30,000 copies between 2004 and 2005. All along, though, Sellers says his company plan has been simple: continual development of inventive products, careful attention to production and shipping details, and the creation of close relationships with both small and major retailers.
Besides small gift shops and independent bookstores, RSP has been selling to Barnes and Noble for 12 years and to Borders since the company's inception. Initially, both chains bought only the company's calendars. In the past few years, however, they've added greeting cards and books to their buying lists, and this year alone Sellers received 20% more orders from Barnes and Noble than he did last year ˆ a request, Sellers says, that made him "feel like [he] was being blessed by the Pope."
Approval from chains like Barnes and Noble and Borders is vastly important to a small publisher, providing national product recognition unparalleled by any other sales venue, says Milliot. But getting into the chains typically requires a small publisher to have a book or calendar with more than 10,000 copies in print, as Sellers has in titles such as The Bride's Year Ahead and Cat Naps.
Barnes and Noble did not return calls seeking comment on its purchase of RSP products, but Michael Watson, co-owner of an independent, Boston-based sales company representing small publishers, has worked with RSP for 10 years. He says the company's knowledge of the market has translated into a habit of consistently producing new styles and product lines that echo the company's previous successes. "Many of Ronnie's products have a 'look,'" Watson says, "In our [sales] world, that is the secret to successful branding."
Small bites
Despite always generating new ideas, Sellers says his goal has been to balance the need for new products with slow and steady growth. Milliot's cautionary tale of failures from too-rapid expansion is one that Sellers says he knows well. "We purposely initiate our growth in measured [increments]," Sellers says. "We have no debt. We only take small bites and chew them completely before we move on to the next product."
This "small-bites" mentality applies to some of RSP's new products for 2006. Box calendars have been in the works for more than two years, but present both opportunity and risk to the company: With their plastic easel supports and glossy, color boxes, they can cost as much as a book to produce. To reduce that risk, though, RSP this year has shipped its first box calendars using proven calendar themes, such as the Fender Custom Shop Guitar Calendar, one of 2005's top-five sellers. (See "Sellers' top sellers, 2005," this page.) Sellers expects that box calendars alone will contribute one-third of the company's revenue growth this year.
On the other hand, Sellers' planned expansion of RSP's book line initially seems like a long-jump away from its original approach. Older titles like City Dog, which RSP's catalogue describes as a "city-specific dog guide," or Pooped Puppies ˆ a book of pictures of napping puppies and quotes on the art of napping ˆ are geared toward gift sales and specific niches. But the new direction for RSP books focuses on a broader market with more of a traditional book approach, based on last year's success of the company's book, Fifty Things To Do When You Turn Fifty.
The book is a compendium of reflective essays written by style luminaries like fashion designer Diane Von Furstenberg and make-up magnate Bobbi Brown, as well as respected authors like Erica Jong and Garrison Keillor. Sellers says he got the idea during the 50th birthday party of a close friend, when he heard guests offer advice to his friend throughout the night. "It was a light-bulb moment," he says.
In only six months RSP has distributed 45,000 copies ˆ 15,000 more than one of RSP's 2005 best-sellers, 1001 Golf Courses You Must Play Before You Die. "[According to the AARP] 50 million Americans will be turning 50 over the next 10 years," Sellers says. "We hope they'll all want to read our book."
Based on that success, Sellers plans to turn out other versions of the book for different age groups in the next two years. His goal is to establish a brand similar to the Chicken Soup for the Soul line.
Despite those large ambitions, Sellers says he's careful not to lose focus on maintaining the strength of existing lines. By applying the same creative approach and marketing strategy that's made previous products successful, Sellers hopes he can solidify Ronnie Sellers Productions' place among small publishers. "When I look toward the future, I think of stability," Sellers says. "I think of the 30 people who've invested their time and livelihoods with my company. It's a responsibility I take very seriously."
Located adjacent to the company's West Commercial Street offices in the old Portland Match Company building, the new outlet store offers the chance for the company to gain valuable customer feedback on its products through a "more direct interaction with consumers," says Ronnie Sellers, RSP's owner and founder. Although the company missed most of this year's holiday shopping season by opening a few weeks before Christmas, the appeal of on-site feedback and additional sales is strong enough that RSP is planning to double the size of the retail store this spring.
Though Sellers is excited about expansion, retail is only a small part of his plan to buoy revenues at his already successful multi-product publishing company. Thanks to the success of its calendar and book lines, Ronnie Sellers Productions in 2003 and 2004 was named one of the fastest growing small publishers in the nation by Publisher's Weekly.
And with 2005 revenue growth of 21%, Sellers hopes to make that list again.
To do that, Sellers plans to follow the same strategy he's had all along ˆ a mixture of strong product lines and careful planning for the future. By introducing new, though familiar, products to RSP's book and calendar lines, Sellers believes he can broaden RSP's reach without making drastic changes in direction and execution.
Specifically, Sellers points to a few concepts being released this year: an RSP version of the popular 365-day tear-off box calendars and an expansion of its niche book line, which grew 87% in 2005. These new ideas are expected to help the company reach its goal of 30% revenue growth this year, Sellers says. "You don't have to be Random House to have a good idea," Sellers says "And we've got plenty [of good ideas]."
In fact, publishing experts say, small, diversified publishers like RSP have enjoyed some of the fastest growth in the publishing industry in recent years. Although the publishing industry doesn't maintain market statistics on the small versus large publisher market share, Jim Milliot, news director and staff writer for Publisher's Weekly, noted that RSP's annual revenue increases are "miles above" the industry rate of three to four percent a year. "You'll never see Random House doubling its size in five years [like RSP] has," Milliot says.
Milliot cites RSP's "mini-conglomerate" approach to publishing as a driver of the company's growth. Most small-publishing houses, Milliot says, deal with books only, making it difficult to compete against big publishers whose vast and varied book catalogs allow them to dominate every field in the book market. Instead, RSP's focus on calendars, niche books and greeting cards allows it to sell a variety of products to a range of different stores.
For example, RSP sells to gift, stationery and independent bookstores while at the same time occupying space at chains like Border's. That makes RSP stand out even among other small, fast-growing publishers like Barefoot Books, a children's book publisher in Cambridge, Mass., whose 2004 revenue growth nearly matched RSP's at 17%, according to Publisher's Weekly.
However, there are pitfalls to RSP's expansion efforts. For small publishers, Milliot says, there's a risk in growing too fast. Creating too many products that are too expensive to maintain ˆ combined with hurried expansion of buildings, printing runs and warehouses ˆ can destroy a small publisher. "It's happened too many times to count [in publishing]," Milliot said. "A business gets some success, expands too quickly and then dies."
Cats, golf and other obsessions
Ronnie Sellers is a man of contrast ˆ his serious Brooks Brothers suit and black-framed reading glasses suggest someone more infatuated with Wall Street than wall calendars. At first, it's hard to envision him creating a product line that includes, among other themes, napping kittens, frolicking wood-fairies and the popular "Biddies" and "Coots"ˆ a line that examines Grandma and Grandpa's oddities.
But behind Sellers' financier appearance exists a book-lover and author of a handful of children's books who got his start in the greeting card business in 1976, as co-owner of Renaissance Greeting Card Company.
In 1993, after selling Renaissance to FTD Inc., Sellers decided to create his own company with the development and success of his first calendar, Cat Codependents. Dedicated to the idiosyncrasies of obsessive cat lovers, the idea for the calendar came to him at a book signing after he was asked to sign 12 of his children's books for a woman's 12 cats. "I realized there was a market [for animal lovers] that hadn't been tapped into yet." Sellers says.
Within one year, he had found permanent shelf space at Walden Books in Portland, and by year three, RSP had moved from an extra bedroom in his home in Cape Elizabeth to offices in Portland. Since then, Sellers and his team of 30 employees have added greeting cards, books, planners and games to the company's product list, culminating in what Sellers refers to as "five years of a rapid growth mode."
For example, RSP's revenues increased 65% from 2002-2004, according to Publisher's Weekly, spurred by best-selling titles like 1001 Golf Courses You Must Play Before You Die, which sold more than 30,000 copies between 2004 and 2005. All along, though, Sellers says his company plan has been simple: continual development of inventive products, careful attention to production and shipping details, and the creation of close relationships with both small and major retailers.
Besides small gift shops and independent bookstores, RSP has been selling to Barnes and Noble for 12 years and to Borders since the company's inception. Initially, both chains bought only the company's calendars. In the past few years, however, they've added greeting cards and books to their buying lists, and this year alone Sellers received 20% more orders from Barnes and Noble than he did last year ˆ a request, Sellers says, that made him "feel like [he] was being blessed by the Pope."
Approval from chains like Barnes and Noble and Borders is vastly important to a small publisher, providing national product recognition unparalleled by any other sales venue, says Milliot. But getting into the chains typically requires a small publisher to have a book or calendar with more than 10,000 copies in print, as Sellers has in titles such as The Bride's Year Ahead and Cat Naps.
Barnes and Noble did not return calls seeking comment on its purchase of RSP products, but Michael Watson, co-owner of an independent, Boston-based sales company representing small publishers, has worked with RSP for 10 years. He says the company's knowledge of the market has translated into a habit of consistently producing new styles and product lines that echo the company's previous successes. "Many of Ronnie's products have a 'look,'" Watson says, "In our [sales] world, that is the secret to successful branding."
Small bites
Despite always generating new ideas, Sellers says his goal has been to balance the need for new products with slow and steady growth. Milliot's cautionary tale of failures from too-rapid expansion is one that Sellers says he knows well. "We purposely initiate our growth in measured [increments]," Sellers says. "We have no debt. We only take small bites and chew them completely before we move on to the next product."
This "small-bites" mentality applies to some of RSP's new products for 2006. Box calendars have been in the works for more than two years, but present both opportunity and risk to the company: With their plastic easel supports and glossy, color boxes, they can cost as much as a book to produce. To reduce that risk, though, RSP this year has shipped its first box calendars using proven calendar themes, such as the Fender Custom Shop Guitar Calendar, one of 2005's top-five sellers. (See "Sellers' top sellers, 2005," this page.) Sellers expects that box calendars alone will contribute one-third of the company's revenue growth this year.
On the other hand, Sellers' planned expansion of RSP's book line initially seems like a long-jump away from its original approach. Older titles like City Dog, which RSP's catalogue describes as a "city-specific dog guide," or Pooped Puppies ˆ a book of pictures of napping puppies and quotes on the art of napping ˆ are geared toward gift sales and specific niches. But the new direction for RSP books focuses on a broader market with more of a traditional book approach, based on last year's success of the company's book, Fifty Things To Do When You Turn Fifty.
The book is a compendium of reflective essays written by style luminaries like fashion designer Diane Von Furstenberg and make-up magnate Bobbi Brown, as well as respected authors like Erica Jong and Garrison Keillor. Sellers says he got the idea during the 50th birthday party of a close friend, when he heard guests offer advice to his friend throughout the night. "It was a light-bulb moment," he says.
In only six months RSP has distributed 45,000 copies ˆ 15,000 more than one of RSP's 2005 best-sellers, 1001 Golf Courses You Must Play Before You Die. "[According to the AARP] 50 million Americans will be turning 50 over the next 10 years," Sellers says. "We hope they'll all want to read our book."
Based on that success, Sellers plans to turn out other versions of the book for different age groups in the next two years. His goal is to establish a brand similar to the Chicken Soup for the Soul line.
Despite those large ambitions, Sellers says he's careful not to lose focus on maintaining the strength of existing lines. By applying the same creative approach and marketing strategy that's made previous products successful, Sellers hopes he can solidify Ronnie Sellers Productions' place among small publishers. "When I look toward the future, I think of stability," Sellers says. "I think of the 30 people who've invested their time and livelihoods with my company. It's a responsibility I take very seriously."
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