Brisbane printer InHouse Print & Design has opened a second premises to cater exclusively for its growing publishing sector.
The new location at Kingston Road, Underwood, is just minutes away from the existing premises and boasts offices, event space and a retail book store which sells books printed by InHouse.
InHouse general manager Nevada Matthews says the aim of the space is to provide their book publishing clientele with another outlet to help sell their work.
“A lot of authors want to do launches for their books but that can be expensive, this space gives them the opportunity to do that and we do not charge them to rent the space,” he explains.
“They also may want to have meetings with their readers and hold seminars with experts from specific fields that their book might relate to, which they can also use the space for. We basically just want to help them get their story out there.”
The premises is open to the public, allowing people to drop in and peruse a book while enjoying a hot cuppa, all provided free of charge by InHouse.
InHouse started out in 1999 as a family business operating under the home of its owners, Bob and Di Karlsson, but has since expanded to bigger premises in Underwood.
Today InHouse has three separate businesses – print and design, publishing, and signs, with each operating independently.
Matthews says the publishing business offers support through every step of the book publishing process, from before the book is written, to printing the book and marketing it to consumers.
“We are really invested in helping the authors sell their books, more books sold means more re-prints, so that is good for us,” he says. “That is basically the whole business model, it is a win-win for everyone.”
According to research from the Association of American Publishers, e-book sales dropped 22.7 per cent in April 2016 compared to April 2015, with children and young adult categories experiencing the biggest declines.
E-book sales also declined in Britain for the first time in seven years. In comparison, paperback book sales in the US surged 21.5 per cent and hardback books grew 2.6 per cent.
“E-books have their place, some people prefer to use them but there will always be a value in the printed book,” Matthews adds.
“There will always be a tangible value for something you can hold in your hands, and our publishing business has continued to grow massively.”
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