What We’re Up To At IPS UK
Ready to simplify your publishing, reach new markets, and be kinder to the planet to boot? Whether you're new to print-on-demand (POD) or a seasoned user, the benefits have never been greater. Plus, with distribution space increasingly at a premium, and with customers still expecting lightning-fast delivery, future-proofing your catalogue with our Virtual Stock service couldn't be easier.
What are just some of the benefits? Well...
Never Unavailable 🔛- all titles in our Virtual Stock programme appear as in stock and available to retailers, so you never need to worry about getting your book into the hands of readers
Seamlessly Consolidated 📦- if a customer orders titles that are POD-ready and stored in our warehouse in one go we'll consolidate the whole order, saving you on freight, and streamlining supply
Cost Effective 💷 - you'll be surprised at the affordability of printing via Virtual Stock, and by the convenience of being able to select titles at will where you may need a few more copies on hand in the warehouse
Actively Saves Money 💰 - you can drastically cut the cost of excess stock fees by recycling unneeded units, and setting them to print on demand
Global Reach 🌍 - once your titles is in Virtual Stock it's also eligible to enter our Global Connect programme, where our partners around the world can have you books with local retailers fast
Better for the Environment ♻️ - the carbon footprint of titles printed-on-demand is far lower than traditional methods, where books are typically sent from fulfilment centre to fulfilment centre before arriving with retailers or customers
This isn't just an offer to consider if you're not already printing via Ingram... we'd strongly advise clients across our publisher base to think about gains they might make by setting relevant titles POD-ready now. The trend is only going one way - satisfying customer demand as quickly as possible after it arises. We really think our publishers could get a head start by acting now. Contact Gina.Walpole@ingramcontent.com for more.
At IPS UK we love that our work connects us to a global network of colleagues and the wider publishing industry. Yes, all those Teams and Zoom meetings are just fine😐, but none of them remotely (pun intended) compare to greeting clients, colleagues and peers in person. That's one reason we were so excited by some of the face-to-face events we were lucky enough to be a part of over the first quarter of 2024.
Our team was front and centre at the IPG Spring Conference. Bunmi Western, Director IPS UK, and Sarah Knapton, Manager, Business Operations, led a popular session offering key insights into what publishers should be asking of new and potential distributors if they want to get the absolute best out of the relationship, and also provided practical tips for how publishers might most efficiently switch. Their presentation sparked a series of enquiries, and its fair to say that some attendees were surprised and delighted by the straightforwardness of the advice they received.
We also enjoyed a highly successful London Book Fair 2024, one many attendees felt was more akin to the feel of book fairs before the pandemic. VP IPS UK Meredith Greenhouse, Bunmi Western, Senior Manager IPS UK Matthew Dickie, Sarah Knapton and Acquisitions Director Gonzalo Ferreyra represented our team, engaging in valuable discussions with clients and other publishing counterparts.
The Ingram stand, as always, was a veritable hub of activity throughout. Client feedback was predominantly positive, praising teams across the business, and calling out some of the advancements made by platforms like iQ and CoreSource.
As we move into Q2 2024 (a period most people call “Spring”🤭) it's the perfect time to reduce your excess stock holding.
We're pleased to announce our exclusive ‘Spring into Action’ free stock recycling promotion; this limited-time offer is your chance to declutter, reduce costs, and streamline your operations.
Review Your Excess Stock: if you’re an IPS UK client we’ll have provided a detailed file outlining your current excess stock holdings at IPS UK. Take a careful look to identify titles that would benefit from recycling
Submit Your Request: from March 12th to April 30th, simply update the attached file by filling in the "Inventory to Destroy" column with the quantities you wish to recycle. Email the completed file to our Business Operations team
We Handle the Rest: sit back and relax! Our team will take care of the recycling process at no cost to you
Minimise Costs: reduce excess stock fees
Streamline Operations: simplify your stock management for greater efficiency
Support Sustainability: contribute to a greener publishing industry by responsibly recycling excess stock
While the offer runs until April 30th, you can start saving money immediately. The sooner you submit your request, the sooner you'll see the positive impact on your bottom line.
Questions? Contact us at IPSUK.BusOps@ingramcontent.com for all UK-related inquiries.
Well, the energy at the London Book Fair 2024 was electric - the fair even made The New York Times and The Guardian this year. After a few quieter years, the buzz isback, and we loved being in the thick of it. It was wonderful to reconnect with so many of our amazing clients, customers, and friends in the publishing world; a hugely positive experience for us, and massive thanks to everyone who stopped by the stand.
It's not all meeting-after-meeting either. Events like LBF bring our global teams physically together like nothing else; here's London-based IPS UK Senior Manager Matthew Dickie and California-based Acquisitions Director Gonzalo Ferreyra getting the drinks in for a particularly tasty LBF dinner...
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While the book distribution landscape in the UK faces certain challenges these days IPS UK is proud to be investing in our business - and growing. We loved showcasing how we empower publishers to reach their full potential. Here's a taste of what we highlighted at LBF:
Full-Service Distribution: we're passionate about getting books to readers around the globe. Whether you need print-on-demand flexibility, the benefits of warehoused stock, or a unique, sales supporting mixture of the two, we've got you covered
Printing Services: high-quality print-on-demand means beautiful books delivered cost-effectively, quicker than ever, and perpetually available
Digital Services: we'll get your titles onto all the major platforms and help you maximize your digital presence
Sales and Marketing: our highly experienced and effective team champions your books worldwide, and works side by side with major retailers to maximise sales potential. We'll also oversee targeted campaigns and use data-driven insights to boost visibility of your titles
Take a quick look at the video below for how this actually went down at the fair:
All in all #LBF24 was a fantastic reminder of the collaborative spirit at the heart of publishing. We're honoured to be part of this dynamic industry, helping our clients share theirwith the world.
Curious about how we can partner with you? Get in touch here today, and let us explore the opportunities together.
Ingram Publisher Services UK proudly congratulates two remarkable clients, 3dtotal Publishing and Manchester University Press, on recent successes.
3dtotal Publishing, renowned for their stunning art books and resources, has been named the regional winner for the Midlands in the prestigious British Book Awards 2024 "Small Press of the Year" category. This marks a significant achievement for 3dtotal, and Ingram Publisher Services UK is proud to be able to distribute them.
Beyond their commitment to exceptional publishing, 3dtotal sets themselves apart with their dedication to philanthropy. As a company, they pledge half of their net profits to humanitarian and environmental causes, an inspiring example of corporate responsibility.
All of us at Ingram Publisher Services UK also applaud Humairaa Dudhwala, Assistant Editor at Manchester University Press, on receiving a coveted Trailblazers Award at The London Book Fair 2024. These awards celebrate rising talents in the publishing industry, and Dudhwala's recognition highlights not only her own hard work, but also the quality of Manchester University Press's whole team.
We're thrilled to represent clients like 3dtotal Publishing and Manchester University Press – innovative and impactful publishers making their mark in the industry. Our role, which we're consistently evolving, means we're committed to providing the services and support that empower our clients to achieve outstanding success.
Books can make a perfect Christmas gift, especially when they’re perfectly matched to recipients. In this short guide we’ll use what we’ve learnt from over 40 years of distributing books across the globe to help you pin down the one title that special someone in your life never knew they needed. Just like Santa we’re also in the business of distribution, and we reckon there’s a thing or two we could teach him about logistics.
So without further ado, and in no particular order:
1. Look further than end of year lists and media recommendations
If you’re anything like us your digital timelines are probably full of “best of” lists, and you can’t turn anywhere in December without someone telling you to buy one thing over another. But if you want the book that’s just right we think you’d do well to look further afield. University presses (publishers who work with or for universities the world over) are a particularly good place to start – they tend to have specialist (but often supremely interesting) books on offer that might help fill the niche-shaped hole in your loved one’s Christmas list. Also, look to source titles by publisher. Looking for a book for the biggest Swiftie in your family? May we recommend the fantastic ACC Art Books? Want to help that younger member of the family understand where the Emo music they love so much originally comes from? Manchester University Press has you covered. Or for someone who just wants to be taken on a wild adventure this Christmas Rowman& Littlefield have just the thing. Exploring books by publisher type will help you hone in on that precise thing your giftee is into, not just a book that happens to be connected to the thing they love.
2. “Unavailable” doesn’t necessarily mean “unavailable”
Online retailers tend to carry price and availability advice that pertain mostly to their own business. Just because one site tells you a title is out of stock doesn’t mean it’s unavailable everywhere, so make sure you compare at least three or four places before you give up. Better still, it’s always a good idea to call your local independent bookseller(you’ll find a handy list here if you’re in the UK) and ask whether they can order directly from a distributor like us. If that still draws a blank, go directly to the publisher themselves. On more than one occasion we’ve heard of customers enquiring, and finding that publishers sometimes have copies knocking about their own offices they’re only too happy to sell on.
3. Make sure you’ll actually get it in time
Christmas comes but once a year, and you don’t want to be caught out by ordering something that just isn’t going to arrive in time. Even if everywhere you look there are dates that fill you with disappointment don’t take “no” for an answer, at least not until you’ve tried everywhere else. If your local bookshop or online retailer can’t get your book to you in time find out who distributes the title and ask if there’s any way they can expedite it to you. If it falls outside of a distributor’s advertised order dates there’s no guarantee, but if you’re willing to pay for fast shipping there’s always a chance.
4. Preorder
So you’ve found precisely the right earth-shattering, life-changing title your recipient will go wild for, but it’s not published until March 2024. No bother – most bookshops and online retailers will allow you to place a preorder, and your book will ship to your recipient on the day of publication. If not, enquire directly with the publisher or distributor – they’ll often be able to help you place an order for forthcoming titles straight from the source. Just remember to write “good things come to those who wait” in your giftee’s Christmas card.
5. Source locally and independently if you can
Perhaps there’s a moral imperative to shop locally and independently, but there are other huge benefits to buying your books from that bookseller just around the corner. For a start, you’re helping power your own local economy and contributing to the continuance of a tradition of bookselling that goes back centuries. But more than that, indie booksellers often know what’s available on the market better than anyone. It’s one thing to click a button and receive a book the next day, but it’s quite another to go into a shop looking for one book only to realise that there’s a whole host of competing, and often superior, titles on offer. If you’re not sure where your nearest local bookseller is use this handy guide: Bookshop Search
We hope you’ve found some of that advice useful; we wouldn’t have known much of it ourselves if we didn’t work at the heart of the industry. However you source your titles this year we really hope you have a very Merry Christmas if you celebrate it, and that there are least some books under your tree on December 25th.
Well deck our halls and call us Santa 🎅🏼- Christmas is already almost upon us, and so it's time for us to release our official guidance for publishers and customers. Below you'll find all the information to ensure that your stock goes out smoothly over the festive season.
If your order is urgent it's really important that you make this clear in the subject line of your email; please call out urgent orders with ***URGENT*** and make sure you specify if the order is time sensitive. If we don't receive it in good time before the last order dates below it's unlikely to make its delivery deadline.
As per the IPS UK delivery specifications stock needs to be with us in good time before the last order dates below; titles should be booked in at least five working days before the last order dates for both ROW and the UK. We can't guarantee dispatches if stock isn't delivered well before it needs to be released.
The last day for submitting international orders by courier for Christmas delivery is Monday 11th December, 2023. Please note that we can’t account for any closures at third party freight forwarders or shippers used by international customers which may impact delivery dates at the end destination.
The last day for submitting UK orders by courier for Christmas delivery is Friday 15th December, 2023
Postal orders, whether international or UK, must be with us as early as possible. As there is no tracking we cannot commit to Christmas delivery.
As always, our last order dates are a guide and not a guarantee. Orders submitted after these dates are very unlikely to make Christmas delivery. Our advice is to ensure that you get your orders to us as quickly as possible.
IMPORTANT UPDATE:
We've heard from UPS that there may be the following delays to their service:
From Monday, 20 November 2023 until Friday, 12 January 2024:
Deliveries sent with UPS Standard may require 1 extra day in transit.
Deliveries sent with UPS Express and UPS Express Saver to be delivered by 10:30 may be delivered by 12:00, and deliveries for 12:00 may be delivered by 14:00.
On Saturdays 25 November, 2 December, 9 December, 16 December, 23 December 2023, deliveries sent with Saturday Express may be delivered by 14:00.
On Saturday 30 December 2023, there will be no UPS delivery or collection services.
For UK Christmas specific information please refer to the UPS Holiday Shipping Schedule here: Holiday Shipping Schedule | UPS - United Kingdom
Both our offices and warehouse are open on every day that is not a UK bank holiday, a list of which you can find here.
Our Goods In team (IPSUK.GoodsIn@ingramcontent.com) is available at the warehouse between 07:30 and 14:30
Our Customer Services team is available by phone between 09:00 and 15:00 (+44(0)1752 202301), or by email (IPSUK.CServs@ingramcontent.com)
Orders can be sent directly to IPSUK.Orders@ingramcontent.com - please remember to flag as ***URGENT*** if applicable
Please note that over Christmas and New Year many UK shippers and courier hubs close across the season, and if packages have not been delivered by December there is a possibility that they may not be delivered until after the New Year. This is outside of our control, and we cannot commit to having orders progressed between December 23rd and January 2nd.
...whether you're celebrating Christmas or not everyone at IPS UK wishes you all the best as 2023 comes to an end. Next year will be an exciting one for us; one filled with all kinds of service improvements and enhancements, and we can't wait to share it all with you as we ring in 2024.
There has literally never been a better time to either join our Virtual Stock programme, or to expand the number of titles you have available via Lightning Source if you're already using it.
That impetus doesn't only come from us: retailers increasingly demand constant availability as they compete to be the first to be able to supply titles in the wake of services like Amazon Prime, and as the global footprint of our POD partnerships grows your titles can reach international accounts far, far, far faster than anyone could place an order with a printer and ship stock half way around the world. Not to mention the fact that the environmental impact is much lower when printing on demand.
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In the age of Virtual Stock, where every title is printable at high quality almost immediately, there really is no need to miss out on sales ever. Titles that are not ordered won't be sold, but titles that cannot be ordered cannot be fulfilled. It's that agility - where publishers can pick what they want for sale, where and when, that makes POD one of the forefront methods of distribution for the future.
As if all those good reasons weren't enough the cost of setting titles POD-ready is also now significantly less. We know first-hand the difference having titles POD-ready can make for our clients - we can see the resulting sales. If you'd like to explore Virtual Stock further, or you'd like to expand your current offering, please contact Gina Walpole directly here: Georgina.Walpole@ingramcontent.com.
IPS UK publisher clients only have until July 31st to take up our free recycling offer.
You can ask us to recycle as much of your excess stock as you like, completely free of charge, any time before then. Earlier in the year all publisher clients will have received an excess stock template, as well as a link to upload it. Even if you've already returned a request to have stock recycled you can use this same template and link to upload a new template containing additional stock. If you're pulping all stock of a title please remember to include "ALL" as the quantity, and if you haven't received a template please reach out and we'll point you in the right direction.
Our analysis shows that many publisher clients have almost a decade of excess units when adjusted for sales. With UK distribution space at a premium, and with the price of storage only likely to rise, we strongly recommend that you minimise your inventory wherever possible. Remember that as of August 1st 2023 our standard recycling rates will kick back in - now is the time to take advantage.
Remember that you can always use our industry leading Virtual Stock offering if removing all stock of a title is a prospect that fills you with dread. We'd love to work with you to be able to continue offering titles for sale through print-on-demand. If that sounds good to you contact your Publisher Coordinator at IPS UK in the first instance.
…but it’s always our priority to ensure that your queries receive the utmost attention.
One of the easiest ways to do that is to make certain your correspondence reaches the right team in the first place, so here we’re outlining precisely who you need to contact, and under what circumstances, to get the quickest and most efficient response.
Please send all orders, regardless of how complex they may be, to:
IPSUK.Orders@ingramcontent.com
Our ultra-efficient Orders Team is super-focussed on making sure your orders are processed as quickly as possible, so they aren’t customer facing.
For any customer related query that requires a response, including follow-ups to orders you’ve already submitted, please contact our friendly Customer Service Team:
IPSUK.Cservs@ingramcontent.com
or call Monday to Friday on 01752 202301
We use the Zendesk ticketing system for all incoming queries, so you’ll receive a ticket number to let you know we’ve got yours. If your enquiry refers to an issue we’ve given you a response to in the past it will help us immensely if you can quote it in your message.
Important: please avoid sending messages to both our Orders and Customer Service email addresses – it will likely delay us responding to you / actioning your order.
If you’re a client of IPS UK you’ll have been assigned a dedicated Client Account Agent at the outset of our relationship – please contact them directly for anything related to our business together. For any shipping quotes, to place an order, or to follow up on an order you’ve already placed, please refer to the Orders and Customer Service details above.
Our warehouse is located at:
Ingram Publisher Service UK
Rooksley
Milton Keynes
MK13 8LD
United Kingdom
You can find it on Google Maps here, or Apple Maps here.
If you need to contact our Goods In team ahead of a delivery you can email them at:
IPSUK.GoodsIn@ingramcontent.com
Whether you’re a client, customer, shipper, printer or anything else, we really look forward to working with you, and wish each and every one of you a great 2023.
After a delay very much not of our own making IPS UK made a welcome return to the Frankfurt Book Fair, along with our excellent colleagues from across Ingram Content Group. This may have been a slightly quieter post-Covid affair than usual, but it was certainly no less lively.The team, including VP and General Manager Sabrina McCarthy, VP International Sales and IPS UK Meredith Greenhouse, Senior Manager IPS UK Matthew Dickie and Marketing and Publisher Services Manager Matt Devereux, met with plenty of publisher clients old, new and forthcoming to discuss improvements at IPS UK, developments in their own businesses, and how we can move forward in tandem to make our service even better. California-based Director of Acquisitions Gonzalo Ferreyra, who is lending a hand to IPS UK for new client sign-ups, also sat in on several meetings to get a feel for the business, and to meet exciting prospects.
The majority of publisher meetings were incredibly positive; in the main, our clients are now accustomed to title and asset maintenance via CoreSource, and almost everybody commented on how much of an improvement iQ reporting is when compared to our legacy system. As ever, we returned from FBF with a robust set of to-do items, all of which our various teams are currently working through. ICG Services Manager Gina Walpole deftly worked through queries and opportunities on our Virtual Stock and CoreSource+ programmes, impressing even those of us who have worked with her for years with her encyclopedic knowledge of all things Ingram.
The fair also offered an opportunity for our UK-based colleagues to meet with the dynamic New York team, who are now responsible for global sales for IPS UK clients signed up to our sales and marketing services. Senior Manager, Sales Edison Garcia and Sales Specialist Leo Moelker had a packed schedule of their own, meeting with publishers and customers alike. If you're interested in what this incredible, experienced team might bring to sales representation for you and your titles you can find an overview by clicking here.
Overall, the whole team came away from FBF 2022 reinvigorated, looking forward to a future rich in potential... THANK YOU so much to everyone who took the time to meet with us. by the time we see you again at the London Book Fair next year much of that potential will have become reality.
Christmas comes but once a year... but blow us down with a feather if it doesn't seem to be coming around quicker and quicker these days. Below you'll find our last order dates for 2022, plus other pertinent information about all things IPS UK for over the festive season...
If your order is urgent it's really important that you make this clear in the subject line of your email; please call out urgent orders with ***URGENT*** and make sure you specify if the order is time sensitive. If we don't receive it in good time before the last order dates below it's unlikely to make its delivery deadline.
As per the IPS UK delivery specifications stock needs to be with us in good time before the last order dates below; titles should be booked in at least five working days before the last order dates for both ROW and the UK. We can't guarantee dispatches if stock isn't delivered well before it needs to be released.
The last day for submitting international orders by courier for Christmas delivery is Friday 9th December, 2022. Please note that we can’t account for any closures at third party freight forwarders or shippers used by international customers which may impact delivery dates at the end destination.
The last day for submitting UK orders by courier for Christmas delivery is Friday 16th December, 2022
Postal orders, whether international or UK, must be with us as early as possible. As there is no tracking we cannot commit to Christmas delivery.
As always, our last order dates are a guide and not a guarantee. Orders submitted after these dates are very unlikely to make Christmas delivery. Our advice is to ensure that you get your orders to us as quickly as possible.
Both our offices and warehouse are open on every day that is not a UK bank holiday, a list of which you can find here.
Our Goods In team (IPSUK.GoodsIn@ingramcontent.com) is available at the warehouse between 07:30 and 14:30
Our Customer Services team is available by phone between 09:00 and 15:00 (+44(0)1752 202301), or by email (IPSUK.CServs@ingramcontent.com)
Orders can be sent directly to IPSUK.Orders@ingramcontent.com - please remember to flag as ***URGENT*** if applicable
Please note that over Christmas and New Year many UK shippers and courier hubs close across the season, and if packages have not been delivered by December there is a possibility that they may not be delivered until after the New Year. This is outside of our control, and we cannot commit to having orders progressed between December 23rd and January 2nd.
...whether you're celebrating Christmas or not we hope you have a fantastic break, and a great end to 2022. We're looking forward to everything 2023 holds, as we continue to move forward with making our service even better for client publishers across the board.
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Pack your bags and grab your most comfortable shoes for walking between exhibition halls; it's time again for the magnificent Frankfurt Book Fair, when our industry descends en masse near the banks of the Main river for the biggest event in publishing. We're incredibly excited to be attending from Wednesday 19th to Friday 21st October, when we'll meeting and greeting dozens of client publishers, and tipping our collective hats to hundreds of others.
We have a really packed diary, but please do stop by the stand to say hello, or to pick up more information about our offering at IPS UK - we'd love to see you. To learn more about Ingram Content Group, about what IPS UK could possibly do for you and your publishing, and about the range of services we're able to offer publishers across the board please do click here.
Again, we're thrilled to be out and about at more events where we can meet our client publishers in person, introduce ourselves to potential new clients, and learn more about trends and happenings across the industry. Check back here regularly for news on other events we'll be attending, as well as general news, views and operational updates.
