List of book distributors explained
This is a list of book distributors, companies that act as distributors for book publishers, selling primarily to the book trade. The list includes defunct and merged/acquired companies, and distributors whose primary business is not books, such as comic books. The companies may provide exclusive distribution rights, or act as a wholesaler or warehouser of publisher's titles. Many of the companies distribute other products, and some also sell directly to the public. Book distributors offer a consolidated list of publisher's titles, such that bookstores can purchase from a wider range of publishers than if they had to open separate accounts with each publisher, who often require a minimum order that the bookstore cannot meet. Most small or independent publishers have relationships with a distributor, including self-published authors, who often use services like Amazon.com to sell to the public. The large publishing companies, including the "Big Five" (Penguin Random House, Hachette, Macmillan, HarperCollins and Simon & Schuster), act as distributors for the numerous imprints they have acquired over the years.
United States
- AK Press
- Alibris
- Anchor Distributors
- Amazon.com, not strictly a distributor to the trade, but acts as a de facto distributor for many self-published authors and small presses
- Asterism
- Baker & Taylor (portions of Baker & Taylor were acquired by Readerlink Distribution Services in February 2015)[1] (sold to book distributor Follett in April 2016, ending B&T's status as an independent and forcing change in B&T's management[2])
- Barnes & Noble
- Blackstone Audio
- Casemate
- Diamond Comic Distributors (comics)
- D.A.P./Distributed Art Publishers
- Follett Corporation
- Greenleaf Book Group, distributor and hybrid publisher
- Heroes World Distribution, owned by Marvel Comics
- Independent Publishers Group, owned by Chicago Review Press
- Ingram Content Group
- Last Gasp
- Midpoint Trade Books
- Perseus Books Group
- Readerlink Distribution Services (largest book distributor to mass merchandisers in United States)[1]
- Rowman & Littlefield
- Send the Light
- Small Press Distribution
- Smashwords, global ebook distribution
- TAN Books
- Texas Bookman
- Tuttle Publishing
- University of Chicago Press, distribution (warehousing, fulfillment, and marketing) for many university presses and small non-profit publishers.
Canada
Asia
Europe
See also
Notes and References
- Milliot, Jim (23 February 2015). "Readerlink Buys B&T Publishing, Warehouse Units", Publishers Weekly. Retrieved 20 December 2015
- Web site: Follett Acquires Baker & Taylor.