My name is Jack W Perry.
I created 38enso Consulting in 2009. I advise publishing companies, authors, booksellers, agents, anyone involved in the book industry. My work is split between helping publishers adapt to working with start-ups entering the publishing industry. I also consult regarding sales force structure; distribution models; and creating verticals within the publishers.
I have written numerous research papers and reports. I have created many strategic plans based on this research. I am also available to help execute these plans.
I have been in the book publishing and selling industry since 1987. I graduated with a BA in History and a BS in Finance and was starting a masters program at Univ. of Missouri – Columbia. I had a job as a receiving clerk in a Waldenbooks backroom in Columbia, MO. After three months, I was promoted to store manager. I moved to St. Louis to take that job. After two years in St.Louis, I re-located to south Florida to open bookstores for the chain and then to the home office in Stamford, CT. I was a national book buyer for Waldenbooks [1200 stores strong] for 3.5 years. I also earned my MBA at this time from Univ.of Connecticut — Stamford. I went to school two nights a week and every other weekend.
I moved to Ballantine next [a division of Random House]. I worked in National Accounts. Then I moved into a corporate position and helped to establish the NAMR program. It was a group dedicated to working with and in the B&N and Borders stores but employed by RH. Inc. I worked my way up at RH to VP-Sales Director. I worked for many imprints including little Random; Knopf; Vintage; Modern Library; and approximately 30 other imprints. After 8.5 years, it was time to move on. I returned to my mid-west roots and took a position as VP – Sales/Marketing/Publicity at Sourcebooks, an independent publisher based in Naperville, IL. A very productive two years but it was time to get back to NYC. I didn’t realize how much I had missed it here. I took a position at Scholastic as VP of Sales. While there, I helped direct the sales and distribution efforts of HARRY POTTER 6. I then returned to Random House and worked directly for the publisher (not Sales as before) working with sales, marketing, publicity, authors, agents and editors. I stayed there for three years and left in January 2009.
After leaving Random House, I decided to take a few months to review the industry. This was early 2009 and eBooks were just starting to shake the foundations of publishing. Amazon’s Kindle was barely a year old. I started meeting with hundreds of publishing people. I wanted to learn what was (is) happening in our industry. It is going through MAJOR TRANSITION. What was a sure way of publishing three years ago may not even be necessary today. I have learned a lot in my coffees, teas, lunches and continue to listen.
In March 2014 – December 2018, I worked Highlights for Children full-time. I wrote and executed a shift in their retail business. Sales 2x in 2 years and 3x in less than 5. Highlights was one of my clients and in the discussions, it made sense to join and focus my efforts with them. I also started as an adjunct professor in January 2015 at NYU SPS. I teach in the graduate school in the publishing program. I teach the Capstone course. I created a course on publishing startups in Spring 2018. I also won a teaching award at NYU. I also joined the board of Berrett-Koehler Publishers – stayed there for almost 5 years.
After leaving Highlights, I went back into consulting full time. I never will fully leave it. I like working for myself and also the challenge that comes with a new company, a new publisher, a new perspective.
I continue to teach at NYU and won another teaching award. Although I am not sure of what I am doing – it does seem like I have some knack at it – what started as a thing toi try has truned into over a decade of teaching.
My latest full-time gig is Astra Publishing House where I do analysis, sales, business development, and strategy. I help analyze potential purchases and integrate new publishers into the company. One of the string brands in the industry. Although I may take on smaller projects or assist friends – I have stopped taking on new clients. I am too busy. Which is a good thing.
My goal is to add value. My goal is to solve problems for companies and set them up for the future within the publishing and book-selling world. Over the past five years I have taken on over two dozen clients. I have worked for Fortune 100 corporations, major and independent publishers, numerous start-ups and literary agencies. For more detail please check my CLIENTS AND PROJECTS page. What I enjoy about consulting is each company has a unique set of challenges, but also there are numerous best-practices that can be applied.
I have been focusing most of my time on Strategy — what is it, what are the options, who is doing what? It touches every area of book publishing. Adopting new processes will help bring publishing into a prosperous future. But I also have created sales and marketing departments, set up new ways of addressing the market and helping publishers grow in the new market.
Most recently, I am fascinated with the publishing startup companies. Content creating and curating in a new, more traditional, but fresh manner.
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