Jan. 16 (Bloomberg) -- Newspapers that scrambled to print extra issues after Barack Obama’s election are ramping up presses to ensure they don’t miss out on an inauguration day windfall.

For Obama’s swearing-in as U.S. president on Jan. 20, publishers of the New York Times, Washington Post and newspapers across the country are planning to sell millions of extra copies, special editions, books and other memorabilia. That’s after Nov. 5 newspapers attracted bids of almost $100 apiece on EBay.

“Every newspaper is getting in on this and they really have to,” said John Morton, a newspaper analyst and president of Morton Research Inc. in Silver Spring, Maryland. “It’s a chance for some quick profits and many are struggling.”

The inauguration of the first black president in U.S. history may be a boon for publishers suffering from a drop in circulation, down 4.6 percent in the year through September.

Washington Post Co.’s flagship newspaper is raising its newsstand price to $2 from 75 cents on Jan. 20 and Jan. 21. It will publish 1.7 million copies in four editions on those days, to be sold at newsstands, vending machines and by hawkers on the street, said its spokeswoman, Maria Cereghino. The newspaper typically prints 589,000 weekday editions.

New York Times Co. will print a commemorative Sunday magazine on Jan. 18, raise the print run of its namesake title by about 75 percent to 2.2 million on Jan. 21 and sell newspapers out of its Manhattan headquarters lobby, according to its spokeswoman, Diane McNulty.

‘Historic Journey’

The company, which posted a loss in the third quarter, has sold $2.3 million in election-related products, including a set of mugs for $24.95 and a 68-page commemorative newspaper for $18.95, McNulty said.

Gannett Co., the country’s largest newspaper publisher, is selling through Feb. 2 a 48-page tabloid-style USA Today edition titled “Obama: The Historic Journey” for $4.95, said Tara Connell, a spokeswoman at the McLean, Virginia-based company. The edition features maps, speech excerpts and special coverage.

“The response has been great,” Connell said.

Stores sold out “immediately” of copies of an inauguration-day issue of “The Amazing Spider-Man” comic book featuring Obama and additional copies will be printed, said Jim McCann, a spokesman for the publisher, New York-based Marvel Entertainment Inc. He declined to provide figures. Bids for the $3.99 comic book on auction Web site EBay today were as high as $227.50.

‘Good Boost’

In Obama’s native Hawaii, Black Press Ltd.’s morning Honolulu Star-Bulletin will print an afternoon edition on Jan. 20 to be sold exclusively at newsstands, Editor Frank Bridgewater said in an interview. Honolulu Advertiser, a rival newspaper owned by Gannett, is increasing its run by 50 percent, or 20,000 copies, on Jan. 21, said Editor Mark Platte.

“Like everybody else, we got a good boost on Election Day and we’re hoping we can capture some more sales because of the local interest in Obama,” Bridgewater said. The president-elect, 47, was born and attended high school in Honolulu.

News Corp.’s Wall Street Journal will add 20,000 copies on Jan. 20, spokesman Robert Christie said. Chicago Tribune, owned by bankrupt Tribune Co., and Washington Times are also increasing their press runs and adding extra pages for advertisers.

“People want to grab onto anything they can,” said Brian Bauman, a spokesman for Washington Times LLC. “With the election, we couldn’t print enough papers.”

For $4.95, readers of the New York-based Hearst Corp.’s San Francisco Chronicle can already order an inauguration-day extra edition and the Jan. 21 issue. Back issues of the election coverage cost $1, compared with a newsstand price of 75 cents.

Commemorative Newspapers

The publishers will try to continue selling memorabilia for weeks after the inauguration.

Next month, the New York Times will sell its Nov. 5 and Jan. 21 issues together for $14.95, as well as “Obama: The Historic Journey,” a book with essays from columnists including Frank Rich and Thomas L. Friedman.

Washington Post is taking pre-orders of commemorative newspapers from Jan. 20 or Jan. 21 for $8.95 each. It will also offer a replica of the metal plate used to print its Jan. 21 front page for $49.95, according to Cereghino. On Feb. 1, the newspaper will introduce a 160-page “photographic journal” of the inauguration for $29.95, the spokeswoman said.

The Los Angeles Times, owned by Tribune, will sell printing plate replicas for as much as $79.99 each as well as $29.99 paperweights, $79.99 framed posters, $5 magnets and a pair of t- shirts for $24.99, according to its Web site.

Time magazine, owned by Time Warner Inc., is offering a pullout of its December “Person of the Year” cover to buyers of the Jan. 16 edition in the northeast U.S., said spokeswoman Betsy Burton. Its Jan. 23 edition will commemorate the inauguration.

Even map publisher Rand McNally & Co. is hoping for a profit lift from the swearing-in, held in downtown Washington. The Skokie, Illinois-based company is selling commemorative waterproof fabric maps of the area around the U.S. Capitol and White House for inauguration-goers. It costs $9.95.

“This happens only every four years, so people will sell just about anything,” said analyst Morton.

To contact the reporter on this story: Greg Bensinger in New York at gbensinger1@bloomberg.net

Last Updated: January 16, 2009 15:32 EST