Insight Editions Tackles Illustrated Market
by Jim Milliot -- Publishers Weekly, 8/21/2006
Palace Press International has a long history of printing and packaging illustrated titles, and beginning this summer the San Rafael, Calif.–based company is launching a new publishing unit, Insight Editions. Palace is betting that its expertise in manufacturing and its business model will help it "buck the down-market trend" for higher-priced illustrated titles, Palace CEO and publisher Raoul Goff said. Insight has done well packaging titles for such companies as Chronicle, Abrams and Avalon, and Goff said that success gives him confidence that Insight will succeed as a publisher. Insight's titles are being distributed by Welcome Books through its distribution pact with Random House.
Insight jump-started its planned fall launch with the publication last month of The Art and Making of Monster House, to tie-in with the release of the film Monster House. The $45 book features 400 full-color illustrations, 3-D art gatefolds and die-cut overlays. The first printing of 8,500 copies has almost sold out, said Peter Beren, v-p, publishing, for Palace. Sony has bought 10,000 excerpts from the book to give away as part of the film's promotional campaign.
Unusual deals are a key part of Insight's strategy. "We're looking to reach the trade, special markets and collectors," said Beren. A 1,000-copy run of the limited edition of 24: Behind the Scenes, for example, will include a hand-signed photo of series star Kiefer Sutherland. Insight's lead title for the fall, Born to Run: The Unseen Photos, features more than 100 photos from Eric Meola, who did the cover shoot for the 1975 Bruce Springsteen album. A first printing of 25,000 has been set for the trade, along with a 1,350-copy limited edition that includes Meola's signature and a deluxe cover; it will sell for $195. To give Born to Runa different look, Insight has designed the book to be the same size as an album cover.
The balance of the launch list—nine titles in all—reflects Insight's aim to develop titles that resonate with baby boomers. Other highlights include Sculpting a Galaxy: Inside the Star Wars Model Shop, set for November in a $50 trade edition and $295 limited edition; Patti Smith: American Artist; Elvis at 21; and Contact: The Yoga of Relationships.
To help launch Insight and work on Palace's two other publishing imprints, Mandala Publishing and Earth Aware, Goff has hired several industry veterans. In addition to Beren (former publisher of Sierra Club Books who joined about two years ago), Christine Barnard, formerly with PGW and Random, is sales and marketing director, and Mariah Bear, once with Ten Speed and Lonely Planet, is executive editor.
Mandala Publishing, which focuses on Eastern culture, and Earth Aware, oriented toward environment books, are both distributed by Ten Speed. The next book out from Earth Aware is It Takes a Nation: How Strangers Became Family in the Wake of Hurricane Katrina, edited by MoveOn.org cultural director Laura Dawn. MoveOn has purchased 7,000 copies to give away as donor premiums.
