Chicago-based Independent Publishers Group (booth 1823), one of the nation’s largest distributors, is making a bold statement at this year’s show following a mini buying spree. Last year it acquired both Midpoint Trade Books (with 260 publishers) and International Specialized Book Services, which expanded its presence in the academic field; IPG had added Inscribe Digital in 2016. As a result, the company will feature nearly 30 author signings and will give away 400 books and galleys. A complete schedule of signings will be posted at the booth.
“I can tell you for sure this is the most aggressive we’ve ever been at BookExpo,” says CEO Joe Matthews, who has seen 18% growth at the company for two years in a row. Rather than limit signings to a few publisher clients, IPG encouraged presses with a book out in 2019 to participate—even if that means only sending an author to the show. “We want to give somebody who’s a first-time independent YA author a chance to sit at the same signing table as a New York Times columnist,” says marketing coordinator Janet Potter, referring to tomorrow’s booth signings with Julian Winters, author of the YA novel How to Be Remy Cameron (Interlude Press, Sept.), and New York Times sports columnist Harvey Araton, who recently published an anthology of writings by various sports writers, Elevated: The Global Rise of the NBA (Triumph Books). Araton’s book arrived during the 30th anniversary year of IPG’s Triumph Books imprint, specializing in sports publishing.
IPG has found marketing value at BookExpo and BookCon. Last year, Central Avenue Publishing held a panel discussion on its [Dis]Connected anthology, edited by Michelle Halket, at the two shows to allow booksellers and social media poetry fans to meet their favorite poets. That collection went on to become a top-selling poetry title at Target in 2019. Several social media poets will return on Friday to sign [Dis]Connected, Vol. 2 (Oct.).
BookExpo is one pillar of support IPG offers its publishers, part of a suite of services for its mostly small and mid-size client publishers. “We want to be in the ‘Goldilocks Zone,’ ” Matthews says, using a fairy tale metaphor for his company’s growth strategy, “which is where we are big enough to offer every service that a publisher wants, but we’re small enough to really care about each one of our publishing partners and give them a lot of attention, which they don’t always find with the really big companies.”
