Courier Buys Cloud-Based Self-Publishing Firm

NORTH CHELMSFORD, MA—Courier Corp., which specializes in book manufacturing and content management, announced that it has acquired FastPencil Inc., a developer of end-to-end, cloud-based content management technology. Terms of the acquisition were not disclosed.

A startup headquartered in Campbell, CA, FastPencil serves authors and publishers with full-featured, open-platform solutions spanning content, workflow, marketing and distribution. It also provides simple, automated systems to help self-publishers get to market quickly and effectively in both print and e-book form, including the technology behind Barnes & Noble’s new NOOK Press, introduced earlier this month.

With its FastPencil acquisition, Courier builds on its offerings for content management and customization for educational publishers while bringing a comparable product set to a broader market. Since 2010, the combination of proprietary software and state-of-the-art digital printing technology has strengthened Courier Digital Solutions in the production of textbooks customized to the specific needs of individual professors, courses and institutions.

The FastPencil platform brings a similar degree of flexibility and control to general trade publishers, established authors and the rapidly expanding universe of self-publishers. At the time of its acquisition by Courier, FastPencil had relationships with more than 60,000 self-publishing content creators involving over 50,000 active projects.

“FastPencil is both a great fit for our existing customer base and a superb means of entry into one of the fastest-growing segments of our industry,” said Courier Chairman and CEO James Conway.

“Our current publishing customers will appreciate the extra options presented by FastPencil’s cloud-based collaborative platform, intuitive design and development tools for both print and e-books, and integrated use of social media at every stage from concept to distribution. And self-publishers, who are already taking advantage of FastPencil’s easy-to-use technology and licensing expertise, will gain tremendous added value on the print side through Courier’s ability to deliver top-quality books at attractive prices, on short order and in virtually any run length.”