Courier Sells Off Custom Publishing Division

NORTH CHELMSFORD, MA—Courier Corp. plans to sell off the assets of its wholly-owned subsidiary, Courier Custom Publishing, to ProQuest Information & Learning Co. of Ann Arbor, MI.

Courier Custom Publishing provides customized teaching materials including multi-publisher coursepacks, as well as out-of-print book reproductions and books authorized by professors for classroom use. The proceeds of the sale were $1.5 million.

"The sale will allow us to focus more of our time and energy on Dover Publications," says James F. Conway III, Courier chairman and CEO. Dover Publications, founded in the 1940s and one of the most prestigious small publishers in America, was acquired by Courier in September 2000.

"Dover is a much larger business and holds far greater opportunity for us. The knowledge and skills we have developed with Courier Custom Publishing, particularly in the area of e-commerce and electronic direct marketing, are allowing us to greatly enhance Dover's value," Conway remarks.