Print-on-Demand (POD)

While IPG has negotiated volume discounts with all major POD vendors, it works especially well with Edwards Brothers, one of the highest quality print-on-demand suppliers in North America. Because of the high volume of POD printing that comes through IPG, client publishers receive very favorable pricing, far more favorable than they would receive through a direct relationship, even with a POD printer of lesser quality than Edwards Brothers.

In addition to making high quality but low cost POD available, IPG also offers its client publishers the opportunity to enter particular titles into an automatic POD reprint program. Here is how it works: for titles that the publisher and IPG have agreed should be in the program, IPG  orders copies sufficient to cover current demand (the maximum reprint is 50 copies) and deducts the printing costs from amounts due publishers for monthly sales.

Once a title becomes a POD title, it remains in stock without its publisher ever having to order a reprint or pay an invoice. IPG also bears the responsibility of approving printed proofs of each POD order. With this system in place, there is never any reason to let a book go out of print; IPG is happy to keep in stock even very few copies.

POD can be especially advantageous for publishers located outside North America and for titles that are used for course adoptions. Freight costs are reduced to zero and an unexpected course adoption order can be handled easily, whatever its size. In addition, experience has shown that the list prices on certain slow-moving titles can be increased enough to cover the POD printing cost. Many IPG publishers have discovered, for instance, that 20 titles selling 50 copies a year can generate income worth having if no in-house time or trouble is required.

Criteria that May Lead IPG to Order a POD Run

• Only when the publisher has opted into the POD program.
• When a relatively large number of copies are on backorder.
• When a title is out of stock, or running very low on stock.
• When a title is projected to rapidly sell out of stock at current sales levels.
• When point-of-sale data shows that major retailers will have few or no returns for a title, and sales for the title are still moderate to strong.
• When a title has a substantial impending publicity hit, such as an excellent review in a major publication.
• Titles that have high demand but prohibitive reprinting costs, such as titles printed in Europe.
• Unpredicted or sudden large orders.

• Any combination of the above.

IPG's Role in the POD program

1. IPG's inventory management team detects a condition for a POD run (see above) and creates a POD order.
2. IPG requests and receives a PDF file of the title from the publisher. IPG will scan backlist titles where no digital file is available.
3. IPG sends the PDF file to Edwards Brothers.
4. Edwards Brothers sends proofs back to IPG for final approval.
5. IPG approves proofs and vendor prints and ships the title to the distribution center.
6. IPG posts sales and deducts POD charges from the publisher's account.

The POD program also works in tandem with various web marketing programs because they all depend on the digital file that generated the print version of the title. IPG keeps these files on a secure server, which has many times been a life-saver for publishers whose own book files have been lost or corrupted.