| Publisher/Supplier FAQ What do you offer your clients?
What does the term "exclusive distributor" mean?
Do you purchase products and then resell them, as does a wholesaler?
What kind of products do you distribute?
What is your fee schedule?
What are your shipping policies?
How do you handle book or other product returns?
What is your policy regarding damaged, lost, or stolen products?
If we contract with you, what will our initial consignment be?
How do we initiate the contract process?
What do you offer your clients? We are the exclusive distributor and representative for our clients' products to retail markets, as well as to some wholesale outlets and specialty markets. Upon signing a contract with a client firm, we market the client's products to these vendors using our sales force, catalogs, websites, and other promotional and advertising methods. We fulfill orders, receive, store, and ship products, manage inventory in transit, bill the retail and wholesale vendors, and handle accounting, credit, and collections. 
What does the term "exclusive distributor" mean? We contract with our clients as the only agent empowered to distribute their products for sale within an agreed upon trade region and to an agreed upon market. We require exclusivity in order to avoid the confusion that might result from multiple sales representatives approaching the same markets while representing the same products, as well as to effectively target our marketing and advertising resources. We will not enter into a contractual agreement with a prospective client until that client has terminated any existing distribution agreement it has with another distributor or wholesaler. The trade regions and markets we agree service may vary with each contract, or even with each product. Our contracts generally do not prohibit our clients from selling products directly to individual consumers through the client's website, at seminars, or at trade fairs.
Do you purchase products and then resell them, as does a wholesaler? No. We accept products on consignment under the terms of the contract, then market and promote them for a commission based upon the manufacturer's suggested retail price. We deduct this commission from the amount paid to us by the retail/wholesale/specialty vendor before we remit payment to the client. In general, we use industry standards to determine the percentage of our commission, our accounting practices, and our schedule of payments to clients. For books, our standard practice is to deduct a commission equal to anything above 40% of the publisher's suggested retail price. Retailers may purchase books at anything from 55% to 70% of the retail price; this allows us to average a commission equivalent to 20% of the retail price. We determine our commission percentage for products other than books based on specific market factors.
What kind of products do you distribute? The bulk of our target market is for quality general and YA books, fiction and nonfiction, including audio books, cookbooks, Christian books, technical manuals, educational texts, and children's illustrated and picture books. We are also interested in representing role-playing game books and materials, graphic novels, art posters and prints, calendars, and some other specialty and book-related materials. We determine whether or not to enter contractual agreements on a case-by-case basis, depending upon the quality of products offered by a prospective client and the perceived market for those products to retailers and wholesalers.
What is your fee schedule? Our fee schedule is based on our contractual relationship with an individual client, and on the type and volume of products we represent for that client. In general, we charge a registration fee for each product we represent, monthly storage fees based on the number and volume of products kept in storage for a client, and shipping costs on returns. Products that are used for promotional purposes-i.e., submitted for journalistic/product review or sent to buyers for consideration-are not included in calculating the client's account balance but are charged off to the client as a promotional expense. We do not charge fees for our overhead costs or our standard advertising, promotional, sales, accounting, and representation services-these services are provided in return for our commission. If a client requests services beyond the purview of the contract, additional fees may apply.
What are your shipping policies? Unless otherwise agreed, the client pays all costs for shipping products to us and for shipping returns from the account retailer or wholesaler to us and back to the client. We pay all costs for shipping products from our warehouse to the account retailer or wholesaler.
How do you handle book or other product returns? It is standard practice in the retail and wholesale industry not to order products, especially books, on a non-returnable basis, except at a deep discount. Because such deep discounts effectively negate the distributor's commission, we do not, as a rule, represent client products to those retailers or wholesalers that require discounts that exceed 47%. Products that are returned to us are charged against the client's account and are returned to the client.
What is your policy regarding damaged, lost, or stolen products? It is our general practice to negotiate with retail and wholesale accounts to set a reasonable standard of determination of product condition for return--this depends on the retailer/wholesaler's internal policy. Products lost, stolen, or damaged in transit to us are the responsibility of the shipper; products lost, stolen, or damaged in transit from us are our responsibility until they reach their destination and are accepted by the vendor or client account. It is the responsibility of the vendor or client to ensure that products are properly packaged, insured, and shipped.
If we contract with you, what will our initial consignment be? Your initial consignment will depend on our perception of the existing market and the preliminary order estimate. We wish to maintain a stock sufficient to meet orders while at the same time minimizing the storage fees we charge you.
How do we initiate the contract process? After you complete and return the Publisher/Supplier Application Form either electronically or in hard copy, one of our representatives will contact you. At that point, you will be asked to submit to us one or more sample titles/products, catalogs, advertising/promotional material, and more in-depth information about your company's publishing/production program.
To begin the process of establishing a supplier's account, complete our Publisher/Supplier Application Form and submit it to us. You may download the PDF form and fax it to us at (979) 779-9635, or you may use the online form to submit your information directly to us. Online Publisher/Supplier Application Form
Print Publisher/Supplier Application Form (requires Adobe Acrobat Reader)
Once you have completed and submitted an application, our management board will review it and respond within three weeks. To request a copy of our latest catalog, or to download it electronically, please go to the Catalog page of this website. |
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