Revisiting the Porthole View: An Analysis of Outreach Strategies in Pursuit of Market Expansion

This report is intended as a follow up to the 2014 Amanda Peters report, “The Porthole View: Marketing to the Masses Through the Little Window,” which provided a top down analysis of Now Or Never Publishing’s marketing tactics, as well as a list of suggested action plans for improving company visibility. This report revisits each of these recommendations, analyzing their continued appropriateness for Now Or Never, while simultaneously documenting any progress or setbacks the company has faced in its attempts to expand its audience. Organized into a general dichotomy of digital and physical outreach strategies, this report employs personal interviews, sales data, and social media insights to determine what amount of marketing improvement and success a boutique publishing house can realistically achieve within a one-year time frame. As a result of these analyses, this report concludes two things. First, that within the given time frame, Now Or Never Publishing has been generally unable to follow the action plans outlined in the Peters’ report, or to embrace them with the full level of commitment needed for success. Second, that these failures do not necessarily imply a lack of effort, but rather may highlight a disadvantage unique to small press publishing, wherein marketing is sacrificed in favor of production and editorial deadlines.