TOP 30 BOOK MANUFACTURERS — CLIMBING THE STACKS

How has the price and demand for paper affected the market?

Edwards: Paper prices are going up, especially the commodities and the free sheets. And the demand is getting tighter, although we have been able to get what we need for now. What ultimately happens is that as paper [prices go] up, people buy less. So what I worry about is that as paper [prices go] up, as mills shut down and the capacity gets tight, the publisher that buys 5,000 units is going to buy 3,500—which ultimately means there is less demand for what we do. For Edwards Brothers, shorter is better, since we are a short-run player. Overall, it is a bad thing for our industry.