Bonus Material: Epiphany Led Publisher to Digital Outsourcing

In Discussion by Edward Nawotka

By Edward Nawotka

Mark Hanusz, publisher of Indonesia’s Equinox Press had an epiphany a couple of years ago: “I was standing in my warehouse, looking at all these books collecting dust, getting mildewed and getting old. I realized that that was where all my money was tied up. Then it hit me, I don’t need to do this anymore.” As mentioned in today’s main article, Hanusz today relies on Lightning Source’s print-on-demand service to produce many of his titles. This digital solution half a world away from Jakarta is what helps him run his business.

The same thing went for the way in which he built his Web site: “For years I had a terrible looking web site, one that I didn’t update that often. So, when I went looking for a way to bring it up to date, I found having someone build one from scratch would be prohibitive. So I purchased a template online from Template Monster, for something like $75, and had it customized in China for another $250. So long as you take the design element out of it, having someone do the coding for you is relatively cheap. Now, when people ask me for a catalog, I just direct them to my web site.”

Hanusz says that his ultimate goal is to be able to have a publishing company that he can run remotely from anywhere in the world. “I recently spent a month in Los Angeles, and I was amazed at how much I could get done from my laptop. A few hours of email and I was all but done.”   It’s enough to make Tim Ferriss proud.

BROWSE: The selection of templates at Template Monster.

REVISIT: Tim Ferriss’s advice on outsourcing.

About the Author

Edward Nawotka

A widely published critic and essayist, Edward Nawotka serves as a speaker, educator and consultant for institutions and businesses involved in the global publishing and content industries. He was also editor-in-chief of Publishing Perspectives since the launch of the publication in 2009 until January 2016.