Marathon Press

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m an employee at a publishing company that specializes in coffee table books.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Marathon Press?

We needed to have one of our books printed.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Initially, Marathon Press printed a 40-page sample copy to help us determine if they were ready to take on a more rigorous book printing challenge. We were satisfied with what they came up with, so we had them move forward with the official book printing.

Marathon Press agreed to print our product, which was a small coffee table book. When we received the copies, we found the pages to be defective and incorrectly bound — we then tried to reach out to their team and see if they could apply repairs, but they never replied.

What is the team composition?

My main point of contact was Martin (VP of Product Development).

How did you come to work with Marathon Press?

We reached out to Martin and asked about their quote and services. We decided to hire them because they had the particular binding expertise and equipment that we needed.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent $1,698.

What is the status of this engagement?

The engagement ran from May–October 2021.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement?

We lost $2,000 over a failed engagement. Marathon Press handed out the book copies and told us they encountered printing problems, and we were surprised to see loosely glued pages that were incorrectly bound.

We were already disappointed because we thought they could deliver our needs, but what upset us more was their inability to communicate after what happened. They let the project fall apart without clarifying what exactly went wrong during the production stage.

How did Marathon Press perform from a project management standpoint?

They were responsive during the trial stage, but when the printing issues took place, we couldn’t reach them anymore.

What did you find most impressive about them?

I had a good working relationship with Martin, and I only wished their team followed through with good results.

Are there any areas they could improve?

They could focus on honing their printing skills, so their customers wouldn’t end up having defective books.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Avoid Marathon press — that’s the only advice I can give.