Niche and Specialty Publishers: Scaling Smartly in 2027

Children’s, educational, and university publishers operate under very different constraints than the broader trade market—yet many of the same supply chain pressures apply.

This November Lunch & Learn will focus on the unique operational and supply chain challenges facing niche and specialty publishers, and how these organizations can scale thoughtfully as they look ahead to 2027.

Topics will include:

• Demand variability and seasonality in children’s, educational, and academic markets
• Inventory and print strategies for lower-volume, longer-tail titles
• Balancing mission, margins, and market expectations
• Distribution, fulfillment, and sourcing considerations unique to specialized audiences
• What “scaling smartly” looks like for publishers with distinct formats, calendars, and constraints

Designed as an interactive discussion, this session will surface practical approaches and shared lessons from publishers serving specialized markets, offering ideas that may also translate across the wider publishing ecosystem.

As with all BISG Supply Chain Lunch & Learns, participants are encouraged to contribute questions, experiences, and perspectives.

Featured speakers to be announced!

About the Supply Chain Lunch & Learn Series

BISG's Supply Chain Lunch & Learns are always highly interactive, so you'll have a chance to contribute at the session. If you have any specific questions you'd like us to cover in this Lunch & Learn, you may send them in advance to info@bisg.org or simply add them to the chat during the session.

To allow participants to speak—and not just type questions—these sessions are conducted in a Zoom meeting (rather than webinar) format. Please take a moment to ensure that your microphone is muted until you'd like to contribute. While we encourage you to attend the live session, the conversation will be recorded and shared with registrants after the session takes place.