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May 31, 2023
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: May 31, 2023
Contact: Sidney Thompson | Corporate Communications
312.337.0747 | [email protected]
IPG to distribute Open Road titles while IPG clients grow sales through Open Road’s machine learning-based marketing technology
New York, NY and Chicago, IL (May 31, 2023) – Open Road Integrated Media (ORIM), the book industry’s leader in utilizing data science and machine learning to enable book discovery, and Independent Publishers Group (IPG), the globally recognized distributor of printed books, eBooks, and audiobooks of publishers worldwide, today announced a multifaceted partnership. The strategic partnership will have two primary components. First, IPG will become the distributor of Open Road’s print titles and the aggregator of Open Road’s eBooks, taking on a role previously played by Ingram. Second, the partnership will provide IPG’s independent publisher clients with proprietary access to Open Road’s machine learning-based marketing technology in order to achieve dramatic increases in the sales of their titles. Open Road already serves 100 publishers through its Ignition service, and markets more than 40,000 eBooks, with the typical eBook title experiencing a doubling of sales.
“We are excited to be moving forward with IPG,” said David Steinberger, Chairman and CEO of Open Road. “Joe Matthews and his team have a flexible and entrepreneurial approach that is a great fit for our fast-growing, technology-based business model.”
“Partnering with Open Road is a major step forward for IPG,” said Joe Matthews, CEO of IPG. “Our clients will now have proprietary access to Open Road’s ground-breaking marketing technology, which is proven to dramatically increase sales.”
IPG clients will have access to Open Road’s marketing technology beginning July 1. Also on July 1, IPG will take on the role of eBook aggregator. On August 1, IPG will take on the role of print book distributor.
Prior to agreeing to the partnership, IPG tested the impact of Open Road’s machine learning-based marketing technology by enrolling titles from its publishing arm, Chicago Review Press, in Open Road’s Ignition service. The results were exceptional, even better than Open Road’s usual performance, with the typical Chicago Review Press title experiencing an increase to 2.5 times its previous rate of sale.
“We had heard about how Open Road’s marketing technology would double sales,” said Cynthia Sherry, Group Publisher of Chicago Review Press and Triumph Books. “Now we have seen it first-hand—Open Road’s technology is getting our books discovered by the right audience of readers and the increase in sales is extraordinary.”
IPG clients welcomed the announced strategic partnership. “It is great to see Open Road and IPG establishing this partnership,” said Stu Levy, Founder and CEO of TOKYOPOP, a key IPG client publisher. “Open Road’s marketing technology is out ahead of the industry and now every IPG client is in a unique position to benefit and achieve dramatic sales growth.”
Technology teams from IPG and Open Road are working closely to enable the integration of Open Road’s marketing services and IPG’s systems, creating a seamless process for IPG’s clients to enroll titles, achieve dramatic sales increases and receive integrated reporting.
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Founded in 1971, IPG was the first organization specifically created for the purpose of marketing titles from independent presses to the book trade. Today, IPG’s wide reach into the book market includes distribution of both print and e-books from a wide array of publishers, digital printing and traditional publishing. With consistent growth year over year, IPG’s success has come from supporting and encouraging the growth of its publishing partners in the United States and worldwide. IPG was acquired by Chicago Review Press in 1987, and this acquisition formed the parent company Chicago Review Press, Inc., which now owns Chicago-based indie publishers Chicago Review Press and Triumph Books.
Open Road Integrated Media is the publishing industry’s leader in applying proprietary data science and machine learning technology to book discovery, enabling authors and publishers to achieve dramatic increases in the sales of their titles. The Open Road Ignition service accelerates discovery and sales of previously published (backlist) eBooks, while Open Road Activation enhances discovery and sales of newly launched (frontlist) titles in all formats. Open Road’s partners include such industry leaders as HarperCollins, Scholastic, Grove Atlantic, Kensington, Europa Editions, Abrams, Workman and Yale University Press. Open Road’s proprietary marketing vehicles include Early Bird Books, a daily eBook deals newsletter and website; The Lineup, for fans of true crime, horror and the paranormal; The Portalist, for fans of science fiction and fantasy; Murder & Mayhem, for fans of mystery and thriller; The Archive, for fans of history and non-fiction; and A Love So True, for fans of romance. Open Road also applies its data science technology to enhancing the discovery and sales of books it publishes. Its publishing programs include Bloodhound Books, a UK-based publisher of commercial fiction, and Open Road Media, a global eBook publisher whose catalog includes legendary authors such as Joan Didion, Graham Greene, William Styron, Alice Walker, Pat Conroy, Gloria Steinem, John Jakes, Pearl S. Buck, Walker Percy and Ruth Rendell.