From November 3 through January 16, HarperCollins and HarperCollins Christian Publishing will offer expedited (and in most cases two business day) shipping as part of its newly introduced Holiday Express Shipping program for independent bookstores.

New title laydowns will continue to ship by established on-sale dates, but reorders of HarperCollins and HarperCollins Christian Publishing titles are eligible for the program, provided that books are in stock and the account is in good standing.

“We are pleased to provide this service to the Indie channel in the busiest time of year in order to help them have HarperCollins titles in stock and meet the demands of their customers,” said Brian Grogan, senior v-p of sales for HarperCollins Publishers.

At least one other major publisher is expected to offer a similar program, Penguin Random House, which has done so for the past few years. Spokesperson Stuart Applebaum told PW that its "2-Day Transit initiative has become part of our DNA,” adding that the company is not yet ready to announce its holiday plans.