Large companies largely mirror the economic woes, but some small businesses are doing just fine—and I am not referring to liquidators and bankruptcy lawyers.
One is the publishing of local interest books. These are books about the history of a very small geographic area; a town or county or a specific aspect of one of these locales. Two organizations in South Carolina, Heritage Press International in Plum Island and The History Press in Charleston publish such titles as:
“The History of South Carolina Under the Proprietary Government, 1670-1719”
“Ghosts of the North Carolina Piedmont: Haunted Houses & Unexplained Events”
Prices range from $15 to $60/book and the print runs are small. The authors are local experts who want to document a topic of interest or educate people about their heritage. In other words, they are generally not looking to make money from their books. The authors and local businesses provide the primary sales effort. While these businesses and other similar small presses are not making their owners rich, they continue to attract authors and buyers to their wares.
Think outside the box to find these niches which will help you and/or your company survive the downturn. The competition for these niches is fierce once they are recognized. Try to get there first to build barriers to entry.
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