Checking in with OR Books: Alternative Publishing — A Case Study
11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
Königstein III
When John Oakes and Colin Robinson – both veterans of the traditional book publishing world – launched OR books (a decidedly non-traditional publishing house) in 2009, they gave themselves a few basic guidelines:
- Fastidious editorial standards; clear and elegant design;
- Employing exciting promotion with highly creative use of video and the Internet;
- Production of books only when they are wanted, either through print-on-demand or as platform-agnostic e-books – thereby avoiding the waste of unsold stock and returns;
- A rapid publishing turnaround so relevant books can intervene quickly in issues of the day; and
- Sales direct to the customer, shipping promptly when a book is released and/or an order is received.
With November 2010 marking a year since the release of their first title, Going Rouge, John Oakes will take stock of OR Books’ very experimental approach to publishing – and share the results thus far.
The Speaker
John Oakes is the co-founder of OR Books (www.orbooks.com), an alternative publishing company that embraces e-books and other new technologies. Oakes started in publishing with Grove Press. In 1987 he co-founded Four Walls Eight Windows, which he first ran as co-publisher for seven years, and then directed for another ten years before selling it to the Avalon Publishing Group. Oakes is a member of P.E.N. America’s board of trustees. He has written for the Review of Contemporary Fiction, the Associated Press, the International Herald Tribune, and most recently The Huffington Post.
