Book Printing--Mixed Results, Mixed Future

Despite increased volatility, R.R. Donnelley & Sons, headquartered in Chicago, enjoyed a surprisingly strong year coming off a disappointing 1998, according to Mike Allen, president of R.R. Donnelley Book Publishing Services.

"Publishing partners are trying to relate to shorter cycle times brought about because of the Internet and other electronic publishing modes," Allen says. "They're trying to draw down their inventories, and they're making later and later decisions about how they want to construct their content, because they're trying to decide which content is best suited for electronic distribution and what content is for print."