Business News
First royal wedding books hit shelves as CPI works through bank holiday
Wednesday 04. May 2011 - From balcony to bookshelf in under 96 hours - and over a bank holiday weekend too. William and Kate havent even begun their honeymoon, yet the first book to feature photographs of their wedding has been printed and delivered by CPI.
Kate, an unauthorised biography of the Duchess of Cambridge written by leading celebrity biographer Sean Smith, went on sale in UK bookshops today, less than four days after the royal couple tied the knot in Westminster Abbey. The 272 page hardback book and trade paperback edition are illustrated with 24 pages of colour photographs, including a photograph of the now-famous kiss on the balcony of Buckingham Palace.
The royal wedding may have meant a bank holiday for most, but CPI worked through the weekend to produce a substantial print run of book for publishers Simon and Schuster, delivering books just as many were returning to work.
Ian Smith, chief operating officer of CPIs book division, congratulated teams at the groups Chatham and Croydon operations: “Kate was a real team effort, with CPI White Quill producing jackets, our commercial division printing colour plate sections and CPI Mackays pulling together the text and binding – and all over a bank holiday weekend too. Meeting this extremely challenging manufacturing deadline demonstrates the CPI group resources and capabilities perfectly”.
David Hyde, supply operations director at Simon and Schuster, shared praise for CPIs achievement: “We handed over finished files at 6pm on Saturday and books are on sale today (Tuesday). With this kind of book, being out on the first possible day is all-important. We had total faith that CPI would deliver.”
Kate by Sean Smith is published today by Simon and Schuster, priced £14.99