With interest in Spanish-language titles surging in the U.S., the Guadalajara International Book Fair is once again expected to draw a large U.S. contingent to its 2024 event. And among that contingent, reps for the Ingram Content Group will have a large presence, as the company seeks to significantly expand its engagement with Spanish-language publishers, retailers, authors, and other professionals.
“Booksellers are staples in their communities, and Ingram helps booksellers do to what they do best: connect readers to the book they’re looking for,” says Bryan Roman, manager of international sales at Ingram. “By expanding our channels of retail distribution into the Spanish-language market, we’re furthering our commitment to readers worldwide.”
Kelly Gallagher, VP of content acquisition at Ingram said the company sees significant growth potential for Spanish language content not only in the U.S., but globally. “With more than 375,000 Spanish titles in our catalog already, I’m eager to work with publishers to help them make their books available around the world,” Gallagher says. Expansion in the Spanish-language market certainly makes sense: the company already sells nearly two million Spanish-language books annually, with approximately 30% of those sales occurring outside the U.S.
Furthermore, Ingram’s global vision for Spanish-language titles extends beyond the wholesale market. The company’s Lightning Source division is the largest print-on-demand service in the world, and Spanish ranks as the fourth-most-popular language globally for the division. “Publishers are looking to our solutions as a cost effective way to sell books in markets that they previously might not have been able to reach,” Gallagher explains.
And, in addition to its wholesale and distribution services, Ingram is expanding its self-publishing platform, IngramSpark, to serve authors in the Mexican market. IngramSpark offers independent authors and self-publishers access to a global network of 40,000 retailers, libraries, and digital distributors, director Paige Allen says, potentially giving “a Guadalajara-based independent author” an audience “halfway across the globe.”
Again, the expanded effort makes sense: the IngramSpark platform has seen significant growth in non-English-language content in recent years, with Spanish-language titles surging 33% year-over-year.
“IngramSpark has been meeting the publishing needs of local and international Spanish-speaking authors and publishers for over a decade,” Allen says. “And we can’t wait to meet with our esteemed Mexican customers in person at the Guadalajara Book Fair this year.”
