INPRESS BOOKS PUBLISHER PACK 2018
ABOUT INPRESS Established in 2002, Inpress has been instrumental in supporting the sales and marketing of independent book publishers across the UK, Ireland and further afield for 16 years. We are unique in the industry for offering not only a comprehensive sales and distribution service across print and digital editions, but also business development – with regular workshops, strategies and bi-annual conferences dedicated to the independent publishing process. We understand that our strength comes from the quality, breadth and diversity of our publishers’ lists and we are committed to helping you grow and develop your publishing business. Our subsidy from Arts Council England and not-for-profit status means we offer a full, professional and high-value service to a wide range of publishers, focusing on generating sales for our publishers, not ourselves. Any surplus we make is simply re-invested into the business and marketing your titles. We are proud of our achievements and we work hard to improve our service to our publishers. 2018 has seen a massive 80% increase in trade sales year on year for Inpress and we were delighted to be shortlisted for the first time for GBS ‘Services to Independent Publishers’ Award at the IPG Awards 2018. ooo
WHAT SORT OF PUBLISHERS DO WE WORK WITH? We work with fifty of the UK and Ireland’s finest independent publishers publishing across a range of genres and formats. All Inpress publishers have a number of things in common; quality publishing, a willingness to grow and learn and a commitment to working as part of a team to achieve increased sales and reach new audiences. More details on our selection process and criteria can be found in these pages and a full document is available on our website. ooo
THE TEAM Based in Newcastle upon Tyne, Inpress has a head office team of six people managing our sales and marketing business and The Poetry Book Society. We sell a wide range of poetry, fiction and non-fiction to the UK and international book trade through our specialist sales team. The sales team is headed by our managing director and comprises an in-house key account manager, sales and marketing exec and digital sales manager, with a field sales team of five highly experienced and professional freelance sales representatives covering the UK and Ireland, and a growing selection of overseas reps and agents.
OUR CORE OFFER • • • • • • • • • • •
A full and personalised sales management service covering high street chains, wholesalers, independent bookshops, online retailers and niche non-traditional outlets. A professional distribution and supply chain service through NBN International (NBNi), who handle all trade distribution, returns, invoicing and any other ancillary work. Online access to detailed sales, dues, returns and stock reports. A dedicated digital conversion and sales programme direct through Kindle Direct Publishing with a global distribution and sales service to libraries and retailers through NBNi Fusion. Access to excellent print on demand rates through Lightning Source. Two sales conferences a year with opportunities to meet the sales team and pitch your titles directly to them. An invite to our annual Festival of Publishing conference and dinner, a time for learning and networking. Regular reporting and access to advice on industry trends, best practice and the state of the market. Access to Bibliocloud, the cloud based digital asset management system. Trade marketing and advertising through the trade press, bespoke POS, targeted email and social media marketing campaigns. A genuine desire to see your business grow and develop.
ooo BOOKTRADE SALES AND MARKETING Inpress has an experienced and dedicated sales team, experts in selling titles by independent publishers. We distribute a weekly publication schedule to all publishers, compile and edit your monthly Advance Information sheets (using Bibliocloud), create bespoke highlights brochures a quarterly trade catalogue and accompanying order forms. We run targeted email and social media campaigns and advertise through the Bookseller, Wholesaler Buyer’s Guides and offer bespoke POS for independent retailers. We offer joined-up sales representation through our key account manager, the reps and our Inpress head office, working across the whole UK trade. We focus on our four key accounts (Waterstones, Amazon, Bertrams and Gardners), high street and independent chains (Foyles, Daunts, WHSmith and WHSmith Travel, John Smith’s, Blackwell’s), independent bookshops approached directly through the reps and our trade mailing list and indirectly through the wholesalers (including The LRB, Dulwich Books, Toppings, Mr B’s, Rhyme & Reason, Shakespeare & Co.), niche, gift and specialists shops (galleries, museums, socialist bookshops, poetry specialists) and all online retailers.
Our draconian adherence to advance title information means we can share your book information and plans with all these areas of the market in time for them to make their key buying choices and for your titles to be listed in all the key catalogues. We love metadata and try our best to make our publishers love it too. ooo
EBOOK SALES AND DISTRIBUTION Inpress works directly with publishers to support them in the creation, distribution and sale of their digital books. Our KDP account brings in the majority of direct consumer sales and we are now working with the NBNi Fusion programme to offer access to major aggregators, distributors, library suppliers and retailers worldwide. We understand the importance of creating a high-quality digital product: all of our ebooks are treated to bespoke conversion and quality control. ooo
SPECIALIST DISTRIBUTION Inpress works in partnership with NBNi for all book and ebook distribution and supply chain services. A contract with Inpress automatically includes distribution with NBNi. They look after your stock, fulfil trade orders, record advance orders, manage all trade invoicing and ensure excellent circulation of title data to bookshops and distributors worldwide. NBNi are professionally accredited under the BIC Supply Chain Excellence awards scheme. ooo
TITLE DATA MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS A contract with Inpress also includes access to Biblicloud data asset management system. All publishers use this system to upload their title information and this is used to create title lists for key bookshops, our publication schedule, AI sheets and catalogues. Bibliocloud was winner of the GBS Services to Publishers Award at the IPG Awards 2017. ooo
INPRESS WEBSITE This is a trade-facing website, including independent bookshop of the month and independent publisher of the month features. All trade marketing links to here and it is an essential tool for our trade marketing efforts. ooo
PUBLISHER EVENTS We run and attend a series of events throughout the year dedicated to the development of our publishers and furthering their sales. Some of the key events include: • •
• • • •
Festival of Publishing – an annual networking and sharing of ideas events with panels and presentations from publishers and industry specialists. Sales Conferences – we want our publishers to have a relationship with the sales team and believe hearing about new titles form the publishers themselves is vitally important to all of us. This is the opportunity for publishers to present key titles to the sales team and reps and receive feedback from the market. Workshops – we run a series of workshops alongside our sales conference and are growing this part of our business. All workshops will be live streamed and have full remote access. London Book Fair – Inpress runs the Poetry Collective and Poets Corner at LBF including extremely competitive rates on stand space, networking and panel events. Poetry Symposium – we run an annual symposium dedicated to poetry as part of the Newcastle Poetry Festival. Festivals, markets, book fairs – we attend various events throughout the year on behalf of our publishers to promote and sell your titles. ooo
TO BECOME AN INPRESS PUBLISHER Publishers applying to Inpress must be prepared to commit to the following: • • • •
To publish at least three new books a year. To provide forward title information, including title blurbs and covers at least 6 months in advance of pub date and to use Bibliocloud to supply us title information. To have a commitment to publishing and a convincing plan for the next three years. Understanding that although we take on backlist, we are front list driven, we cannot “make” books that have already been published.
Once an application has been completed, it will be assessed by the board. Applications are considered using the following criteria: • • • •
Is there a clear market for your titles? Can we increase sales and the audience for your books? Do you contribute to artistic excellence? We will judge applications from both an artistic as well as commercial point of view. Do you contribute to literary diversity? Inpress is committed to ensuring we are representative of the UK and all its voices and communities Do you have growth plans? We want to work with publishers who have ambition and plan to continue publishing for three years or more.
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