Consortium Expanding, Re-evaluating Client Roster
by Steven Zeitchik -- Publishers Weekly, 7/8/2002
Consortium has picked up two clients formerly with defunct distributor LPC, even as the St. Paul, Minn., company looks to reexamine its own strategy.
LPC orphans Common Courage and cultural studies specialist Arsenal Pulp (which had been talking to Consortium before LPC came undone) are among the latest to join Consortium. The company, under the new leadership of investment banker Don Linn (News, Dec. 24, 2001), has also been signing other publishers. New clients include poetry house Alice James, travel publisher Mo¹ Media, and children's publisher Redleaf Press. Its roster now stands at about 75 publishers, a sizable increase over where it was five years ago. "We are strategically building the list," said marketing manager Susan Doerr.
But Consortium is also strategically trimming. "We're evaluating which publishers fit," Doerr said, cautioning, "We're not just dropping people. We're looking at who adds value, and it's not necessarily about the bottom line." She added, "I think Don has clarified and made good business sense out of certain decisions and brought a clear vision that was probably lacking before."
