Independent Publishers Group

Book distributor

For information on the optics company, see IPG Photonics.

Independent Publishers GroupStatus| Active

|

Founded| 1971
Country of origin| United States
Headquarters location| Chicago, Illinois
Distribution| Worldwide
Official website| www.ipgbook.com

Independent Publishers Group (IPG) is a worldwide distributor for independent general, academic, and professional publishers,[1] founded in 1971 to exclusively market titles from independent client publishers to the international book trade. As per other book wholesalers and distributors, IPG combines its client publishers’ books into a single list, comparable to the larger publishing houses. IPG’s distribution services to publishers include warehousing, bill collecting, and sales to the book trade. IPG currently represents about 1,000[2] publishers. They are based in Chicago, Illinois. IPG distributes publishers based in Australia, the United Kingdom, Canada, France, Ireland, Switzerland, New Zealand, Israel, and others.[3]

## Merger with Chicago Review Press

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Logo

In 1987, IPG was acquired by Chicago Review Press (CRP) an independent publisher founded at about the same time as IPG.

## Acquisition of other book distributors

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IPG acquired Paul & Company, an 11-year-old distributor of university presses, in 2001. IPG now sells directly to universities.

In 2006, IPG acquired Trafalgar Square Publishing, founded in 1973, which is the distributor of more than 100 publishers from the UK, Australia, New Zealand, China, and Germany, representing more than 20,000 titles. Its roster includes HarperCollins, Pan Macmillan, and Penguin Random House from the UK and Allen and Unwin and Penguin Random House from Australia; these publishers’ titles are not always issued in US editions.

In 2018, IPG acquired International Specialized Book Services (ISBS), an academic book distributor.[4]

In August 2018, IPG acquired the book distributor, Midpoint Trade Books. Speaking to Publishers Weekly, IPG's CEO, Joe Matthews said that the publishing industry "is consolidating because distribution rewards scale, requires expensive technology, and demands high-level access to customers."[5][6]

## Bankruptcy in the UK

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In October 2021 IPG acquired United Independent Distributors (UID), the UK's second largest book distributor which was facing financial and operational challenges. IPG invested millions in UID and its subsidiary companies Marston Book Services, Orca Book Services and Eurospan, but without Joe Matthews providing convincing targets for the acquisition and investment or guaranteeing a reliable service.[7] On July 25, 2024, IPG announced that UID and its subsidiaries Marston, Orca and Eurospan had gone into administration, leaving publisher clients unpaid, struggling to access all their stock and with no communication from IPG.[8]

## Represented publishers

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* John Blake Publishing Ltd, founded in 1991[9][10]

## See also

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* List of book distributors
* Chicago Review Press

## References

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1. ^ Hartman, Elizabeth (2018-05-11). "Book Expo 2018". Publishers Weekly. Retrieved 2018-11-15.
2. ^ "Publishers | Independent Publishers Group".
3. ^ "The History of IPG". IPG Book. 2018-05-11. Retrieved 2018-11-15.
4. ^ "IPG Acquires ISBS". PublishersWeekly.com. Retrieved 2018-07-08.
5. ^ Kirch, Claire (2018-09-04). "IPG Acquires Midpoint Trade Books". Publishers Weekly. Retrieved 2018-11-15.
6. ^ "IPG Buys Midpoint Trade Books". Shelf Awareness. 2018-09-04. Retrieved 2018-11-15.
7. ^ "Publishers despair at late payments from Marston Book Services amid IPG systems changes". www.thebookseller.com. Retrieved 2024-08-13.
8. ^ "UID, Marston, Orca, and Eurospan File for Bankruptcy". PublishersWeekly.com. Retrieved 2024-08-13.
9. ^ "About Blake Publishing". Blake Publishing. Archived from the original on 8 March 2001. Retrieved 9 April 2022.
10. ^ "John Blake". Independent Publishers Group. Retrieved 9 April 2022.

## External links

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* Official website