Sales
Consortium offers comprehensive sales representation to every market channel: national accounts such as Amazon and Barnes & Noble, independent bookstores nationwide, academic course adoption, public and school libraries, wholesalers, gift stores, museum stores, and other special markets. Top-notch independent sales reps visit bookstores across the United States and Canada, while in-house sales staff manage national accounts and liaise with Ingram’s gift, special sales, mass merchandise and international sales staff. Consortium publishers have the opportunity to meet with members of our sales team four times each year thanks to our rigorous presales and sales conference schedule. Our in-house sales staff are available to offer advice whenever you need it. We publish full-color catalogs twice a year, that are available in print and online, in addition to the catalogs produced by Ingram Academic and full-color adult and children’s gift catalogs.
Marketing
Our energetic and creative in-house marketing team offers advice and guidance on everything from media strategy to event locations to advertising opportunities. We amplify your marketing and publicity efforts via our newsletters, social media, and galley boxes, and promote your titles at influential book shows across all markets both locally and internationally. Consortium publishers have access to a variety of marketing resources including a comprehensive media database, in-house media lists, discounted group advertising opportunities, an email newsletter tool, and our marketing handbook.
Data Reporting, Inventory Management and Warehousing
As a distributor, warehousing, shipping, and managing your inventory is the backbone of what we do. We provide all national accounts with new title data and have dedicated national accounts managers that work directly with the buyers in the large accounts. In addition to reporting tools to determine stock levels, we also provide print and reprint analysis and coordinate with publishers on production schedules including warehouse deliveries, release dates, and timely shipping of titles. We offer a wide range of online reports through a dedicated site for our publishers that includes sales, stock, and backorder that give publishers the information they need to manage their business.
Logistics and Shipping
Consortium publishers are located around the globe, and we are well-equipped to assist with shipping and logistics requirements. Consortium is partnered with a third-party shipping company delivering monthly consolidated shipments into the United States from both the UK and Hong Kong. Publishers who utilize the consolidation enjoy the benefit of lower costs due to higher volume as well as having inventory delivered directly to the Jackson, TN, warehouse. Consortium is also able to arrange domestic/Canadian shipments directly to our warehouse from your printer or supplier, whether it be ground, LTL, or truckload shipments. Publishers enjoy the benefit of lower shipping costs due to higher volume as well as having inventory delivered directly to our warehouse.
Digital Solutions
Consortium offers CoreSource, one of the most robust metadata systems in the publishing industry. CoreSource is a set of digital services that enables publishers to participate in digital technology through ebook conversion and distribution, and LSI digital print services such as short print run (SPR) and print on demand (POD). CoreSource metadata also feeds directly to over eighty retailers, including Amazon and Edelweiss, making your books readily available to consumers with the most up-to-date information available. Consortium clients also have access, at reduced rates, to powerful Ingram digital tools like Marketing Insights, Aerio, and Smart Metadata.