Over the course of his career, APsaA member Stanley Greenspan has been both an author and a publisher numerous times. He's published books with some of the largest and best-known publishers in the industry—and he's published with his own foundation. There's one thing he's learned from all these ventures, no book can be successful without a strong sales and distribution program.
Greenspan's most recent endeavor in publishing is the Psychodynamic Diagnostic Manual which was published earlier this year and for which he served as project coordinator. As TAP readers know, the Manual is a collaborative effort of the American Psychoanalytic Association, the International Psychoanalytical Association, Division of Psychoanalysis (39) of the American Psychological Association, the American Academy of Psychoanalysis and Dynamic Psychiatry, and the National Membership Committee on Psychoanalysis in Clinical Social Work, collectively known in this case as the Alliance of Psychoanalytic Organizations (“the Alliance,” for shorthand).
“Because of the broad demand for the Manual, I wanted the PDM accessible to as wide an audience as possible and I knew we needed an experienced distributor to accomplish that,” remarked Greenspan.
Though several large, prominent publishers were interested in the book, Greenspan was fearful of working with them because of the loss of control authors often experience in the hands of large companies. So the Alliance, a non-profit group, opted instead to retain as much control as possible by self-publishing the Manual. “You're more at the mercy of a publisher than when you're on your own. But self-publishing means finding a book distributor to get the publication to market,” said Greenspan.
“When you self-publish, you don't have the infrastructure of sales and marketing that an established publisher has. So you need a book distributor who can provide those services. And in a situation where you self-publish and use a book distributor, you can actually realize more profits,” he continued.
Greenspan set about researching book distributors and discovered Independent Publishers Group (IPG), a book distributor for independent publishers throughout the United States and worldwide. IPG, located in Chicago, was also recommended to Greenspan by several of his colleagues. It turned out by chance that I was also well acquainted with the firm and supported Greenspan in his decision to go with IPG.
“Because of the broad demand for the Manual, I wanted the PDM accessible to as wide an audience as possible and I knew we needed an experienced distributor to accomplish that,” remarked Greenspan.
A full service book distributor offers a national sales organization which reaches booksellers (both academic and general), and most importantly, has a strong relationship with the major bookstore chains such as Barnes & Noble and Borders. Such distributors also sell to the major wholesalers (such as Ingram and Baker & Taylor), which in turn reach the smallest of bookstores, the academic market, and public and academic libraries. They also make sure your book is well presented on Amazon and other online retailers, and at relevant book trade and academic meetings. In addition, a range of publicity and marketing services, such as media lists, are offered at no charge or for a nominal fee.
Mary Rowles, title development manager at IPG, says, “The days when a publisher can effectively self-distribute are over. As the book industry consolidates, the costs and complexity of being accepted by the major chains and wholesalers have escalated. IPG frees a publisher or association to concentrate on their core business, while making sure their publications get the widest possible exposure to all markets. And if a publisher wants our expertise in adapting a professional book to a broader audience, we are happy to assist.”
The world of non-profit publishers is not new to IPG as the firm also distributes the publications of the Urban Land Institute, Search Institute, The Independent Institute, and The Society for Human Resource Management.
So far, the Manual has been stocked by a number of bookstores across the country as well as by book distributors in Canada and Australia. And IPG has sold the Manual to the Nurses Book Club, a market probably no one in the Alliance ever thought would be reached. A total of 13,000 Manuals have already been sold.
What does the future hold for the PDM? Perhaps the sales of foreign rights (meaning translations in Italian, Spanish, German or other?) and an e-book version of the publication. “The Alliance welcomes further ideas for bringing the PDM to an even larger audience as well as feedback for the first revision (Psychodynamic Diagnostic Manual II) scheduled several years down the road,” remarked Greenspan.
Dottie Jeffries is Public affairs director of APsaA.