Distribution Partners for Library Sales

April 2010
by Brian Jud

Distribution Partners for Library Sales

by Brian Jud

The library marketplace is made up of almost 120,000 locations and is divided into many segments. In addition to the more than 16,500 public libraries and their branches, there are academic libraries, religious libraries, hospital libraries, prison libraries, military libraries, niche libraries, and more. Typically, libraries do not return books unless the books are defective or the orders were processed incorrectly.

It is possible to market directly to libraries but more common to work with a distribution partner or partners, since distribution companies offer many services that librarians have come to expect and that individual publishers usually can’t provide. In addition, the fact that an established distributor is working with you gives you credibility in librarians’ eyes.

Here are some of the services distribution partners provide to libraries:

Automated cataloging and processing. Most distribution partners handle the details of cataloging and processing and provide a range of processing options, including shelf-ready books or loose components for processing at a library. They know what the librarians want and the forms in which they want it.

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