Perry Donham wrote:I just read through the informational material for IBPA's new Small Press United venture. On the face it looks like a pretty good program. Any thoughts from IPNE members? How does it compare with distribution agreements that you currently have?
Perry
Hi Perry--
I'm pretty familiar with SPU, having been on the IBPA board through the discussions about it. Basically, it replaces the old distribution program carried out by IBPA and IPG, opening it up to larger numbers of publishers. It's for the kinds of publishers who would have a hard time getting trade distribution otherwise. This has always been a bit tricky--distributors have a hard time surviving carrying books from publishers who have only a handful of titles. (Biblio was the last distributor who tried it, and it didn't last.) With SPU, you get real trade distribution that might not be available otherwise.
But, there are two caveats. First, you're presented in the tiny press category, which may not help to convince bookstores to carry your titles. Secondly, the deal is inherently less good than IPG (regular division) or other regular distributors would provide with a regular contract with publishers whose books they are really eager to carry. (I am very happy with the distribution of my books by Midpoint, for example.)
Another factor is the inherent problems with every trade distribution contract. In exchange for being in a position to be carried by bookstores, you give up about a 65 percent discount or so with any distributor. And if a new title really gets put into lots and lots of stores, an average of 30 percent will be returned, many scuffed. And you will get paid at last four months after the books are sold, with last month's returns subtracted from each monthly check. This is true of every real trade distributor. If anybody offers what looks like a better deal, they're not getting the books stocked in stores.
Many small publishers decide not go go with trade distribution, even when it's offered. Their lives are simpler if they just sell books directly through Amazon and other Internet stores, from their own Web sites, from the back of the room when they speak, "special sales," etc. They get much more control that way, and they get a lot more money per book sold, with fewer expanses. I always do my best for trade sales as well as direct, special sales, etc.--but I find it is practical only if I can start with a print run of at least 5,000 copies and be 99 percent sure of at least selling out that print run.
With that in mind, if you do want to proceed with a distributor, and if you can't get accepted yet by the majors such as Midpoint, IPG (regular division), PGW, or NBN, then SPU may be exactly what you're looking for. It is an honest effort put together by book professionals to get books into stores that might not have made it otherwise.
FWIW,
Steve Carlson