The Chicago-based Independent Publishing Group has made a name for itself as a distributor of Spanish-language books for the U.S. and Canadian markets. Currently, it offers more than 5,000 titles from 40 publishers who are based in Spain, Mexico, and Argentina.
“The Spanish-language market has been taking off for us in 2018,” says Kelsey Wayne, the manager of IPG’s Spanish distribution program. She adds that much of the growth is coming from places not well-known for their Spanish-speaking communities. “Everyone immediately thinks of California, Texas, Florida, and New York, but we’re seeing a big increase in orders in places like Colorado.” Wayne attributes the growth in the market to an increase in dual-language education across the U.S. “There is a boom in demand for children’s titles and for graphic novels and comics, which are easier for nonnative speakers to understand due to the mixture of words and pictures,” she says.
Of course, growth comes with its own challenges. “Some of the conjugations and terminology of books from Spain may not work as well in the U.S. classroom,” says Wayne, who notes that, as a result, IPG is actively looking to expand its selection of publishers and titles, especially from Latin America.
Library sales for Spanish-languages titles are also growing. “They are a huge part of what we are focusing on with our publishers,” Wayne says. “There is a lot more shelf space than, say, a bookstore, and they are trying to serve their community members.”
Wayne notes that IPG is aiming to diversify what it offers in a wide variety of categories. In this regard, the start of FIL in Guadalajara is an important date on the annual calendar. “FIL is the best chance we have to meet with our current publishers and have face-to-face time with them,” Wayne says. “It is nice to connect and check in with them and see what we can improve on and grow. And, of course, meet other new publishers, as well.”
