Dave Murphy has been named president and CEO of Creative Publishing International, based in Minnetonka, Minn. He takes over for Ian MacFarlane, who becomes chairman of the board. After 22 years in senior positions at consumer food manufacturer General Mills, Murphy joins CPI as it celebrates its 30th anniversary.
Originally founded as a photography studio called Cy Decosse, CPI began publishing brochures and later a successful microwave cookbook series. By the 1980s, the company was specializing in how-to and continuity book series for the direct market, according to Jeff Swanson, CPI's publicity manager.
The company generally publishes around 40 books a year, but this year CPI will publish 70 new and revised titles-"a growth spurt," Swanson explained, that reflects CPI's new emphasis on general trade books. Swanson reported that CPI's trade book sales were up "100% between 1997 and 1998." Bruce McKenzie, CPI's sales manager for the book trade, deals directly with the national bookstore chains and big Internet retailers, Swanson told PW, and CPI uses regional sales rep groups to get its books into independent stores and small chains around the country.
The privately held company has annual sales of between $40 million and $50 million. Licensing deals with national consumer brand names such as Black & Decker, Singer, Coats & Clerks and Field and Stream magazine are its core business. The company publishes in the areas of home arts and sewing; outdoors, hunting and fishing; gardening (a new series is due in spring 2000); and CPI will relaunch its cookbook line in fall '99.
CPI is also publishing the Black & Decker Complete Guide to Home Repair with a first printing of 250,000 copies, increased from 80,000, said Swanson, after the title drew much attention at this year's BookExpo. "Our books compete with the Time-Life and Home Depot how-to series," he noted, "and there's been tremendous growth in the home improvement category here in the U.S. and abroad." He expects to sell 100,000 copies or more of the title in foreign markets alone.
