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independent publishers guild
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Exporting
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1. Directly to the overseas bookshop or end-consumer.
2. Via a commissioned sales representative.
3. Via a stock-holding overseas distributor.
4. Via foreign language editions.
5. Via Co-editions.
6. Via overseas subsidiary office.
7. Via UK Export.
This page has further information about the above, and about "Selling to North America".
If you are a full IPG member you have full online access to the Global Publishing Information Database, hosted on the PA web site. You will need your IPG and GPI database password details for access. For more information go to the links page.
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There are basically seven methods of selling books overseas:
1. Directly to the overseas bookshop or end-consumer (promotion by direct mail, web site, exhibition etc). Unlike the UK book trade, it is conventional for overseas bookshops to pay freight on their orders. This might be air freight or sea freight. As there is a large cost and time difference between air and sea freight, it is important to clarify what shipping method the overseas bookshop has requested.
2. Via a commissioned sales representative who may or may not be resident overseas, but who visits bookshops on your behalf — about twice a year.
3. Via a stock-holding overseas distributor (who may be a publisher himself). This company may buy “firm” from the UK publisher (with no automatic right to return unsold books); or may buy “on consignment” (whereby the distributor only pays for the books once he has sold them, and therefore does not own them. The UK publisher will also pay freight to the distributor, and pay freight for repatriation of books should they be returned). The discount offered on the book price to the distributor would usually be less for consignment stock arrangements, (as there is no risk being taken by the distributor). In both cases the distributor organises promotion and publicity, though costs are sometimes shared with the UK publisher. The book price charged in the overseas market is decided by the distributor in the case of “firm purchase” arrangements, and by the UK publisher (in consultation with the distributor) in the case of “consignment” arrangements. There will usually be a mark up from the exact exchange rate.
4. Via foreign language editions: when the UK publisher sells the right to publish in a foreign language to an overseas publisher.
5. Co-editions: selling the right to publish to another English-language publisher (e.g. American or Australian) for their local market. Co-editions are particularly prevalent for highly illustrated books, where the simultaneous printing of the co-editions helps to reduce unit costs.
6. Via overseas subsidiary office (usually only large publishers have overseas offices). These might have their own publishing list, or simply be sales representation offices.
7. UK Export Booksellers are companies in the UK who specialise in promoting and supplying to overseas markets. Many overseas libraries buy through UK export booksellers as that way they pay UK prices without any mark-ups. However, the downside is the time it takes for them to receive their orders.
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Credit terms need to be longer for overseas customers (bookshops and distributors) as orders take longer to reach them. A rule of thumb is that the further away the customer is from the UK, the longer the credit period — anything up to 180 days. If there is no trading history between you, the UK publisher, and the overseas customer it is prudent to ask for payment in advance for the first order or two (on pro forma invoices) and then open a credit account having received satisfactory references from both UK publishers (with whom the overseas bookshop already does business) and a UK bank. Payment should be in sterling, although many European customers may want to pay in Euros and so setting up a Euro bank account might be a good idea.
For some overseas orders, credit card is becoming a common payment method. However it is important to ensure that your security practises are sound. A number of UK publishers have received significant overseas orders on credit cards that have turned out to be fraudulent. The onus is on the seller to ensure that credit cards are legitimate. The Booksellers Association web site has some useful information about credit card transactions www.booksellers.org.uk.
Insurance: many publishers insure their overseas business so that they are covered in the event of bad debts. Insuring stock in the overseas publisher’s warehouse in the case of consignment sales is also important, although the distributor may cover this. Lastly, insuring freight is important.
Packing: it is important to pack books extremely well for overseas shipments. Boxes of books are liable to be bumped around a fair bit on their journeys to overseas destinations.
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Selling to North America
Very few UK publishers sell their own titles directly to North American bookshops. It is more common to appoint a distributor or sell co-edition rights to a US publisher. In the case of distribution the USA and Canada are usually grouped together, Canada being served by a US company. However, Canadian distributors do exist, and separate deals can be done. There are pros and cons of selling rights and using a distributor. With the former your book is being sold under the American publisher’s imprint (co-edition publishing), and will probably sell more copies than if you were having your own book distributed, because the US publisher’s imprint is probably better known than yours in the USA (there are a few exceptions to this where publishers are very well known in a particular niche or subject area). But the revenue per book sold coming back to you (a royalty) is not large. With the latter option, distribution, your own imprint’s name is being promoted, you are receiving more money per book sold, but the number of books sold will probably be fewer. It is gradually becoming more common for UK publishers to publish under their own imprint in the US or even to set up their own US imprint. The globalisation of the international book market due to internet bookselling makes the reasons for developing your own market presence abroad more compelling – and some surprisingly small companies do have a successful presence in the US under their own imprint rather than through co-edition sales. Deciding which route to take has to be a process of balancing the pros of the more assured cash flow and quantities of co-edition publishing, against the potential benefits and risks of deciding on direct distribution.
If you enter into an arrangement with a US distributor it is important to check the details of the contract to ensure your ownership of your stock, and monies received in the event of the distribution compliant failing.
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Selling
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