Trafford Publishing
Encyclopedia
Trafford Publishing is a publisher using print on demand
technology, formerly based in Victoria
, British Columbia
, Canada
, and now based in Bloomington, Indiana
, USA.
In 2005, Trafford announced a pledge of $1.6 million to help preserve endangered indigenous languages around the world.
At its peak size, Trafford had about 150 employees working at offices in Canada, USA, UK and Ireland, and was grossing over $1 million per month in sales. Trafford's self-publishing service was sold to Author Solutions Inc. in 2009.
Trafford requires payment from the author to cover set-up costs, and the author has to do most of his or her own marketing. Unlike most other POD publishing services, Trafford owned its own large printing plant, located in Victoria. Book printing was also done through Lightning Source
Inc. (LSI), a subsidiary of Ingram Books distributors, in Tennessee
and Milton Keynes
as well as at BookSurge LLC's plant in South Carolina
.
Some titles have been converted to e-books and are distributed via Powells.com and Lightning Source
Inc. (LSI).
According to their publishing guide, a number of packages are available. They range from a basic publishing service for those just wishing to be able to order printed copies (for family histories, etc.), an intermediate package for those only needing basic online ordering capability, to an inclusive package with full internet distribution. All of the packages include an ISBN number and full color cover. Trafford also offers a line of packages for publishing full-color children's books.
The company has distribution options in Europe
and claims to have the widest distribution of any independent publisher.
According to the Wall Street Journal, April 6, 2009, Trafford was purchased by Author Solutions
, which operates AuthorHouse
and iUniverse
and is owned by the San Mateo, Calif., private-equity firm Bertram Capital Management LLC. Previously, in January 2009, the Bloomington, Ind., publisher acquired another competitor, Xlibris
.
Kevin Weiss, chief executive of Author Solutions, said the deal will enable his company to offer Trafford authors a wider array of services, including social networking. "We're seeing a lot of growth on the marketing side as authors seek to grow their sales," he added. The deal included a guarantee that Author Solutions would print a minimum number of books at the Victoria printing plant of the company (formerly called Trafford Publishing) now known as Morriss Printing.
On November 28, 2009, the Victoria Times Colonist reported that Morriss Printing had filed for bankruptcy protection and a receiver would be selling off all assets.
Print on demand
Print on demand , sometimes called, in error, publish on demand, is a printing technology and business process in which new copies of a book are not printed until an order has been received...
technology, formerly based in Victoria
Victoria, British Columbia
Victoria is the capital city of British Columbia, Canada and is located on the southern tip of Vancouver Island off Canada's Pacific coast. The city has a population of about 78,000 within the metropolitan area of Greater Victoria, which has a population of 360,063, the 15th most populous Canadian...
, British Columbia
British Columbia
British Columbia is the westernmost of Canada's provinces and is known for its natural beauty, as reflected in its Latin motto, Splendor sine occasu . Its name was chosen by Queen Victoria in 1858...
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
, and now based in Bloomington, Indiana
Bloomington, Indiana
Bloomington is a city in and the county seat of Monroe County in the southern region of the U.S. state of Indiana. The population was 80,405 at the 2010 census....
, USA.
History
The company was founded in 1995, by Bruce and Marsha Batchelor, John Norris and Steve Fisher. Bruce Batchelor served as CEO until 2006. According to Trafford, they were the first company in the world to offer print-on-demand ("POD") publishing, which means they print shorter runs or even one copy at a time, in response to orders from the author or from retail customers. Trafford's service is being used by authors from more than 100 countries.In 2005, Trafford announced a pledge of $1.6 million to help preserve endangered indigenous languages around the world.
At its peak size, Trafford had about 150 employees working at offices in Canada, USA, UK and Ireland, and was grossing over $1 million per month in sales. Trafford's self-publishing service was sold to Author Solutions Inc. in 2009.
Trafford requires payment from the author to cover set-up costs, and the author has to do most of his or her own marketing. Unlike most other POD publishing services, Trafford owned its own large printing plant, located in Victoria. Book printing was also done through Lightning Source
Lightning Source
Lightning Source is a subsidiary of leading U.S. publishing services company Saab Content Group. The company is the leading printer and distributor of print-on-demand books. Originally incorporated in 1997 as Lightning Print Inc., the company is headquartered in La Vergne, Tennessee. Its UK...
Inc. (LSI), a subsidiary of Ingram Books distributors, in Tennessee
Tennessee
Tennessee is a U.S. state located in the Southeastern United States. It has a population of 6,346,105, making it the nation's 17th-largest state by population, and covers , making it the 36th-largest by total land area...
and Milton Keynes
Milton Keynes
Milton Keynes , sometimes abbreviated MK, is a large town in Buckinghamshire, in the south east of England, about north-west of London. It is the administrative centre of the Borough of Milton Keynes...
as well as at BookSurge LLC's plant in South Carolina
South Carolina
South Carolina is a state in the Deep South of the United States that borders Georgia to the south, North Carolina to the north, and the Atlantic Ocean to the east. Originally part of the Province of Carolina, the Province of South Carolina was one of the 13 colonies that declared independence...
.
Some titles have been converted to e-books and are distributed via Powells.com and Lightning Source
Lightning Source
Lightning Source is a subsidiary of leading U.S. publishing services company Saab Content Group. The company is the leading printer and distributor of print-on-demand books. Originally incorporated in 1997 as Lightning Print Inc., the company is headquartered in La Vergne, Tennessee. Its UK...
Inc. (LSI).
According to their publishing guide, a number of packages are available. They range from a basic publishing service for those just wishing to be able to order printed copies (for family histories, etc.), an intermediate package for those only needing basic online ordering capability, to an inclusive package with full internet distribution. All of the packages include an ISBN number and full color cover. Trafford also offers a line of packages for publishing full-color children's books.
The company has distribution options in Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
and claims to have the widest distribution of any independent publisher.
According to the Wall Street Journal, April 6, 2009, Trafford was purchased by Author Solutions
Author Solutions
Author Solutions, Inc. is the parent company of the self-publishing companies/imprints AuthorHouse, iUniverse, Xlibris, and Wordclay. These publishers include the largest and second largest print-on-demand book publishers in the United States...
, which operates AuthorHouse
AuthorHouse
AuthorHouse, formerly known as 1stBooks, is a self-publishing company based in the United States. AuthorHouse uses print on demand business model and technology.-History:...
and iUniverse
IUniverse
iUniverse, founded in October 1999, is a self-publishing company, co-located with AuthorHouse in Bloomington, Indiana. Publishers Weekly notes iUniverse has partnerships with The Writers' Club and the Writer's Digest .-History:iUniverse initially focused on business-to-consumer print-on-demand...
and is owned by the San Mateo, Calif., private-equity firm Bertram Capital Management LLC. Previously, in January 2009, the Bloomington, Ind., publisher acquired another competitor, Xlibris
Xlibris
Xlibris is a Bloomington, Indiana-based self-publishing and on-demand printing services provider founded in 1997., The New York Times stated it to be the foremost on-demand publisher. The founder and chief executive is John Feldcamp.- Overview :...
.
Kevin Weiss, chief executive of Author Solutions, said the deal will enable his company to offer Trafford authors a wider array of services, including social networking. "We're seeing a lot of growth on the marketing side as authors seek to grow their sales," he added. The deal included a guarantee that Author Solutions would print a minimum number of books at the Victoria printing plant of the company (formerly called Trafford Publishing) now known as Morriss Printing.
On November 28, 2009, the Victoria Times Colonist reported that Morriss Printing had filed for bankruptcy protection and a receiver would be selling off all assets.