Seattle Publishing Journal
January 2010

Welcome to the New Year with our first journal of 2010. In this edition we share our Bicycle Paper experience and insight regarding how we manage a newsprint publication through turbulent times.

Cheers,
The SP Crew

FEATURED PROJECT

Bicycle Paper

At the beginning of each year, the Bicycle Paper staff is busy selling, collecting information, editing, publishing and distributing six publications to newsstands throughout the Northwest and Rocky Mountain regions. All of this work is done in a three-month period in preparation for the cycling season. Needless to say, there is a lot of work to be done in a short period of time.

As one of the longest running cycling publications in the United States, Bicycle Paper has continued to evolve and grow, unlike the majority of news publications that have lost ground, due largely to the internet. With its hard working staff and the ability to leverage the Gutenberg publishing system, all content is collected, managed, edited, and proofed for flowing to Adobe InDesign for print or via mySQL for BicyclePaper.com. This consolidation of content allows Bicycle Paper to remain viable and competitive in the changing newspaper market.

Published eight times each year, Bicycle Paper is distributed at newsstands and consumer expos beginning in March.

TIPS & TRICKS

Micro-pubs

Micro-pub is a term that is being applied to special item catalogs and print guides that are targeted to a very specific audience or market. These specialty publications are being used to supplement or replace annual publications. Since they can be produced in smaller quantities and with a greater frequency than larger annual publications, they typically lower costs both in printing and mailing.

By using the Gutenberg Publishing System®, Bicycle Paper is publishing micro-pubs with our Tour and Racing Guides, allowing us to expand into new markets and increase our market share. With Gutenberg, the content is combined with regional data to create micro-pubs that feature select events or services for our target audiences. With this combination, readers are more likely to utilize these publications for planning and participating during the cycling season, thus increases their effectiveness.

DID YOU KNOW...

Seattle Publishing

Many of Seattle Publishing's best ideas have their roots with the Bicycle Paper. When the largest cycling club in the US approached us to create a guide for their largest event, the Seattle to Portland Bicycle Classic, our custom publishing services were started. In 1995, when the number of cycling events was doubling every season and becoming more time consuming to manage, Gutenberg was born. In 2002, when approached by a fellow cyclist about a pocket guide, our Tour and Race Guides were started. In 2007, as more cyclists turned to online sources, BicyclePaper.com became our first database-driven website project, thus allowing us to flow content to both print and web.

 

The Gutenberg Publishing System's® namesake, Johannes Gutenberg, defined modern publishing when he blended 1400’s ink, type and mechanical technology to invent the moveable type press. With the same drive towards efficiency, Seattle Publishing’s database-driven system helps organizations manage their information and streamline the production process for print- and web-based publications.

Seattle Publishing, Inc. is a 36-year old company that blends current technology with time-tested publishing techniques. The company is a recognized leader in database-driven publishing and is constantly working to be the standard by which all competitors are compared.

Press Contact

Amber Zapffel
Seattle Publishing
206-903-1333
amber@seattlepub.com