In an online program presented by Publishers Weekly and Westchester Publishing Services, Tyrrell Mahoney, President of Chronicle Books, warned, “If your books are being printed overseas and they’re not already on a boat that is on the water now, then those books probably won’t make it into stores by the holidays.”
PW executive editor Jim Milliot moderated the timely discussion about supply chain challenges with Mahoney as well as Bill Smith, Director, Trade Publishing & Sales at the MIT Press; Kelly Gallagher, Vice President of Content Acquisition at Ingram Content Group; and Matt Baehr, Executive Director of Book Manufacturers’ Institute (BMI).
“The more you hear about what is going on, the more vexing the situation becomes,” says Andrew Albanese, Publishers Weekly senior writer. “It is the kind of problem that truly tests a leader to make tough decisions.
“It’s a logistical challenge to prioritize the right books for the right time—but at the same time, it’s a moving target, too,” Albanese tells CCC. “Publishers agree, this problem is not going to ease up for some time… probably not until the end of next year, 2022”