Craft Focus - December 2020/January 2021 (Issue 82)

78 +44 (0)1892 510 850 www.searchpress.com selling globally. How often do you launch new titles? We publish upwards of 90 Search Press books per annum and as a distributor we can be promoting another 100 new titles. That’s collectively a huge number of individual product launches. We announce titles six months in advance of publication, and we have very rigorous marketing processes that ensure each new title is given proper exposure to the press (including influential bloggers), trade (both bookshops and craft outlets) and consumers through emails and social media. How would you advise a retailer who is interested in stocking your books? Carrying a good range of books is a great way to sell extra product – a book on how to use fat quarters, for example, will encourage people in a fabric store to purchase more fat quarter bundles, particularly if they’re cross-merchandised. An interesting book range (and by that, I mean one that represents bestsellers as well as new titles) will encourage consumers to spend more on their existing crafting passions but also to explore new crafts. So, think of books as portable packages of inspiration! Make up some of the projects from the books you stock and display them in your store. Finished projects will inspire your customers. And you should use books in any classes or workshops you offer – they’re a great way for people to remember the techniques they’ve learned, and also to give them project ideas to try out at home. And don’t forget that many of our authors love doing book signings and instore demonstrations so, once such gatherings are safe again, please talk to us about arranging an event in your shop. What sets you apart from your competitors? I believe we have gained the market share we currently have (c25% according to Nielsen) because we’re specialist, know our market and stick to it. We’re not like some of our competitors who are general ‘lifestyle’ publishers, only part of whose output is art and craft titles. This is all we do, so we have the expertise and the contacts built up over the 50 years we’ve been in this sector. Keeping all functions in house too builds up a company ethos of knowledge but also of true customer care. People calling us will speak to a knowledgeable, committed member of staff. Having a warehouse on-site means we can react quickly and accurately to (virtually!) any customer request. As a family-owned independent business, great books and great customer service are central to what we do. Do you visit any trade shows? Usually our year is punctuated by Stitches (February), London International Book Fair (March) and Frankfurt Book Fair (October). We’re hugely supportive of trade shows as we get to show our fabulous range to customers new and old and to meet with friends from the industry. This year we only managed Stitches before Lockdown struck and that seems like a lifetime ago now! London was cancelled and Frankfurt became a virtual event. Who knows what 2021 will bring? How did the business cope during the Covid-19 pandemic and what are your plans going forward? We had some tough calls to make but we are blessed with very spacious offices. We immediately made the decision that anyone who could, should work from home. People coming into the office – customer services, warehouse operatives and some marketing personnel – were incredibly careful regarding safe working practices and social distancing. Microsoft Teams became the norm for company-wide communication which took a lot of getting used to! We adapted our marketing communications very quickly. We were very aware that our trade customers needed support and so we set up a number of initiatives to help them to sell our books safely and effectively online. We have had some wonderful feedback about our speedy response to the crisis and that has been really gratifying. Consumer shows we’ve been attending for years such as Patchings Art Festival became virtual events and so we recreated our Patchings marquee with our lovely authors’ demonstrations taking place on-line. We’ve also held our very first Search Press Virtual Christmas Festival with a packed schedule of nearly 30 author demonstrations across a range of arts and crafts. Plans going forward are to continue to trade as safely as we can, balancing the very real health concerns of our staff with the need to keep the business running. But these are such uncertain times that no-one knows what will happen next. Celebrating 50 years is no mean feat, what can we expect from Search Press going forward? More great books that inspire creativity the world over! We’re absolutely committed to maintaining our market domination and engaging with customers - both trade and consumer - globally. As soon as we can do so safely, we’ll be back doing trade and consumer shows as meeting our customers both inspires and informs us. And we’ll be there to support our trade customers in any way we possibly can. Search Press stand at CHSI Stitches 2020