About Trafalgar Square

Vermont-based Trafalgar Square Books was founded in the early 1970s, and has grown into one of the world’s most respected specialists in books on horses and equestrian sport. Since the early 1990s it has also become known for its craft books in areas including knitting, crochet, weaving, sewing and embroidery. It publishes 10 to 15 new titles per season, and has a list of about 600 titles in all—in digital, audio and DVD formats as well as print. It sells through its own website, internet and general booksellers and specialist equestrian and craft retailers.

MetaComet’s boutique-style customer support helped Trafalgar Square dramatically improve its royalty management processes from the very start of our relationship. We were also on hand to provide quick resolutions to any challenges that arose during and after the implementation process. We’re committed to the success of all our clients, and have been pleased to watch our pioneering, industry-leading solutions free the Trafalgar Square team to focus on what they do best: produce, promote and sell great content.

The view from Trafalgar Square

‘We found MetaComet via an online search, and considered other publishers’ reviews and referrals before starting our relationship. Until recently, Trafalgar Square used a royalty management system that combined Excel data with a software program, but it became clear that our system was outdated, and wasn’t going to be supported for much longer. It also required around 25 hours of manual effort for each of our two royalty runs every year, at the end of January and July. We were looking to streamline our workflows and reduce the effort involved.

MetaComet made the transition of our data a smooth process, and we had regular meetings throughout to ensure we were on track. Gathering together all our information was challenging at times, but with MetaComet’s help we were able to collate what was required and clean up any historical inconsistencies in our data. We used the MetaGoLive® process to achieve the switch on time and under budget.

Since we transitioned to MetaComet I’ve been able to substantially reduce my time spent on royalty statements. I no longer have to maintain Excel spreadsheets in parallel with our calculations, and I’ve been able to set thresholds that simply weren’t possible before. Another welcome benefit is that we know our authors will find their royalty statements much easier to read than previously.’

Amy Wilson, Trafalgar Square Books

David Marlin

David Marlin is the President and Co-Founder of MetaComet® Systems, a prominent provider of royalty automation tools. Since founding the company in 2000, David has spearheaded the development of a suite of best-in-class systems that effectively facilitate royalty processes for nearly 200 publishers. David has also served as the chair for The Book Industry Study Group’s Rights Committee and Digital Sales Committee.

Before establishing MetaComet Systems, David served as a technology consultant for renowned publishers, collaborating with notable companies such as Random House, Penguin, HarperCollins, Holtzbrinck, Macmillan, Scholastic, Time Warner, and many others. David holds both an MBA and a BA from Columbia University in New York.