Ingram, PRH Offer Libraries POD Options

Ingram Library Services and Penguin Random House have announced a print-on-demand program designed to supply libraries with popular backlist titles. After researching which high-demand books often become unavailable, particularly in libraries’ preferred hardcover format, ILS and PRH have created a set of 200 titles by authors including Harlan Coben, Janet Evanovich, Lisa Gardner, Yaa Gyasi, Paula Hawkins, Debbie Macomber, Anne Perry, Nalini Singh, Gary Shteyngart, and others, whose work will be made available through Lightning Source.

Carolyn Morris, VP of Ingram Library Services, told PW that the POD program will span all genres and that samples will be available at the Ingram and PRH booths during the American Library Association’s annual conference, which begins June 26 in Chicago. Although the program started with PRH, “we welcome all publishers that want to participate,” Morris said, adding that the program also has potential for other channels such as bookstores.

“We do a lot of project work for opening day collections or for libraries that are refurbishing, and we develop shopping lists for libraries that point us toward titles that you can’t get anymore,” said Morris. Consequently, ILS was able to produce a report for PRH showing hard-to-get titles for the library market. “PRH recognized this as a lost sales opportunity and wanted to make sure their authors were represented.”

“The beauty of print-on-demand,” Morris added, “is that we can have all of these books available for order, we can manufacture and ship them the same day, and we can do that without having to allocate valuable shelf space or inventory dollars, which makes it low-risk to offer this breadth of library titles.”

ILS produces books in their West Coast, Tennessee, and Pennsylvania facilities, touting a guaranteed availability program for publishers. A hurdle for publishers, Morris said, “is convincing them it’s worth the effort to get the book file together and send it to LightningSource to put on print-on-demand.”

ILS believes the POD program can help libraries fill gaps in their classic children’s collections and replace missing volumes from popular series. PRH has also requested POD for large-print titles.

“It’s an accessibility issue for libraries,” Morris said. “There’s a myth that people with visual impairment use a digital device, and we hear libraries saying there’s still big demand for large print, especially after the original print run is gone” and publishers hesitate to resupply.

In a statement, PRH SVP of library sales and digital strategy Skip Dye said, “By working with Ingram to expand availability of our backlist catalog, we’re strengthening the supply chain libraries depend on and ensuring readers can continue to find the books they love.”