Tag Archives: distribution

Independent Publishers Group Goes Direct to Store for Local Comic Shops

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Independent Publishers Group

Independent Publishers Group (IPG), driven by swift growth in high impact manga, graphic novel, RPG, and comic publishers on its distribution roster, is launching direct-to-store terms for the local comic shop market. This rollout includes competitive terms and marketing vehicles for advance notification and sell-in. 

More than 20 must-have frontlist titles will be featured in IPG’s new seasonal “IPG Impact” catalog, which will be circulated to all stores to drive awareness for our publishers, including NBM Publishing, Kodama, One Peace Books, SHP Comics, Dead Sky Publishing, IPI Comics, Outland Entertainment, Ponent Mon, Black Panel Press, Korero Press, ZeroZero Entertainment, and Invader Comics. This new frontlist augments IPGs large backlist in the category. 

IPG is offering flexible terms and incentives for stores ordering direct:

Retail Trade Returnable: 45% Discount, Free Freight, Net 30, and first order gets an extra 3% discount (48% total).

-OR-

Retail Trade Nonreturnable: 50% Discount, Free Freight, Net 30, and first order gets an extra 3% discount (53% total).

Order Minimums:  $100.00 net value

Penn State University Press to Self-Distribute Graphic Mundi Imprint

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Graphic Mundi logo

After nearly five years with a third-party distributor, Penn State University Press will begin self-distribution of its Graphic Mundi imprint effective August 18, 2025. Staffed full-time by a professional warehousing, fulfillment, and customer service team, the Penn State University Press distribution center in University Park, PA also provides fulfillment services for the Penn State University Press and Eisenbrauns imprints. Executive Director of Penn State University Press David Ayock anticipated no service disruptions.

Effective on the same day, Canadian distribution for Graphic Mundi will be handled by the University of Toronto Press.

Since 2021, Graphic Mundi has been publishing innovative and award-winning graphic novels for adults and young adults on a range of topics that affect how we live in today’s world. Genres include graphic medicine, graphic journalism, graphic justice, graphic memoir, and graphic history.

To migrate a retail or wholesale account or to place an order for Graphic Mundi titles with Penn State University Press, contact your Penn State University Press sales representative or Sales Manager Paul Harrington at prh5213@psu.edu. You can also reach Penn State University Press’s fulfillment team at orders@psupress.org. Customer service can be reached at (800) 326-9180 weekdays from 8:30 AM to 4:30 PM ET.

Dynamite Entertainment Joins Simon & Schuster for Book Distribution

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Dynamite Entertainment

Dynamite Entertainment has announced an ongoing distribution deal with Simon & Schuster for book distribution. This new agreement will allow Dynamite to continue to serve a widely diverse range of fans and readers with their product across multiple retail channels, delivering high quality and revered stories. Simon & Schuster’s extensive reach and established reputation will allow Dynamite’s great stories and products to find their ways into the hands of more fans, bringing a greater awareness to the brand than ever before, just as they are expanding their line with more prose, children’s, and instructional books.

Simon & Schuster offers publishing and retail partners a slate of services through their infrastructure, sales, distribution, and beyond. For Dynamite, they will be servicing the “Book Market,” referred to within the comic book industry as including mass market retailers like Barnes & Noble, Books-a-Million, treasured independent bookstores, library systems, other non-comics specialized brick and mortar or online retailers that sell physical books, as well as Amazon.

Dynamite Entertainment’s distribution in the “Direct Market” of specialty comic retailers will continue to be handled by Lunar Distribution, Universal Distribution, and Diamond UK. Dynamite is in a legal battle with Diamond Comic Distributors which it claims owes it over $1 million.

Universal Distribution expands Comic Distribution into the US through Alliance Game Distributors

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In September 2022, DC Comics and Universal Distribution entered into a global distribution agreement that began in October 2022 for releases in January 2023. Read that again, GLOBAL DISTRIBUTION. But, Universal has had a presence in just Canada, so “global” has been non-existent but there was an opening for the future. With the purchase of Alliance Game Distributors from the bankrupt Diamond, Universal now has an opportunity to do so and infrastructure to make it happen, as well as accounts that may be interested. It was revealed today through social media that Universal will offer DC Comics to US retail stores through Alliance. Alliance has a warehouse in the US in Fort Wayne, Indiana, a nice centralized location to distribute to US retailers.

Universal’s sales teams are currently focused on regions centered on Montreal, Vancouver, and Toronto, with no US teams listed. Their website specifically says they “do not sell to the public, into the United States, or to online stores.” But, Alliance would allow them to expand with an already existing infrastructure and customer base.

Retailer Ryan Higgins of Comics Conspiracy pointed out the change on social media but the news has been rather stealth. This change would challenge Lunar Distribution which has had a monopoly on the distribution of DC in the US up to this point.

Universal has contracts with all of the major publishers. Their website lists DC, Marvel Image, Dynamite, IDW, BOOM!, Dark Horse, Vault, Oni, Mad Cave, and more including some independent publishers. We don’t know what those contracts are like but if they are also for “global distribution,” it wouldn’t be a stretch to see Universal break the exclusive distribution strangleholds that have again taken root in US comic distribution.

It also opens up an opportunity for stores that primarily sell games to dip their toes into comics looking for series or characters that might compliment and crossover with games.

We’ve reached out to both Universal and Alliance for comment but have not heard back.

Fireside Games Brings Domestic Hobby Sales to Distribution In-House

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fireside gamesFireside Games has announced that beginning January 2016 they will handle all sales to U.S. distributors for the Domestic Hobby Market in-house. This is no change for retailers, who will continue to purchase product, such as Castle Panic, through standard distribution channels. However, Distributors will now work directly with Fireside Games to procure their games. Fireside Games has been represented by Publisher Services Inc. (PSI) for all markets since 2009, and will continue that strong partnership for Specialty, Mass, and International Hobby Markets.

As part of this change, Fireside Games has also announced that Chris Williams will be joining their staff as Domestic Hobby Sales Representative January 4, 2016.

Williams has been in the board game industry for over 25 years and has experience across all facets of the business. He started off in retail at Games of Berkeley, where he supervised and maintained inventory, and then moved on to Berkeley Game Distributors, where he oversaw sales for 5 years.

His experience includes researching and writing fiction and adventure gaming source material for numerous companies, and he worked as the Continuity Expert for Chaosium’s Dreamlands setting. As Managing Editor of Vortext Publishing, he brought that magazine from an unknown publication to an Origins Award nominee within 2 years.

In the late ‘90s, he managed inbound and outbound shipments and assisted the Business Manager with the solicitation of new releases and the writing of advertising copy for R Talsorian Games. Most recently, Williams worked for 1A Games as the Sales & Marketing Manager and then the Operations Manager, where he expanded distribution, increased trade show presence, and managed Kickstarter campaigns.

Arcane Wonders Partners with PSI to Boost Distribution

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Arcane Wonders and Publisher Services, Inc. (PSI) have announced a partnership regarding the launch of a sales and fulfillment program. PSI is a leading supplier of quality games, toys, books, and collectibles. Through this partnership PSI will be the exclusive sales and operations team responsible for Arcane Wonders sales, warehousing and shipping to all North American markets and International Hobby.

Arcane Wonders product will be available from PSI effective immediately. Arcane Wonders has found success over the past year with their games Sheriff of Nottingham and Mage Wars, and the recent release of Mage Wars Academy.

PSI Arcane Wonders

Cryptozoic Entertainment Expands Product Sales into GameStop

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CryptozoicCryptozoic Entertainment, premier developer and game publisher, announced today it has partnered with GameStop to expand its sales of games and trading card sets. With more than 6,600 GameStop retail locations and online sales, this partnership delivers the opportunity for players to easily find their favorite games and trading cards.

Games now available include Spyfall, The Big Bang Theory: The Party Game, The Walking Dead: Don’t Look Back Dice Game, Adventure Time Card Wars releases, DC Comics Deck-Building Games and Bravest Warriors Dice Game. Along with games, GameStop also sells Cryptozoic trading card sets including Walking Dead Season 3, DC Comics Super Villains and Supernatural Seasons 1-3.

This is the latest in numerous moves by the company to expand its footprint and distribution network. In April the company modified their exclusive agreement with Alliance to allow for distribution elsewhere. In May the company announced it would cease selling trading cards direct to consumers, and then expanded their relationship with Publishing Services, Inc. In June they announced they were expanding their relationship with Diamond. This all kicked off in April when the company announced they hired a Vice President for Global Sales.

This is clearly a company looking to expand their footprint and sales and we wish them luck.

NYCC 2012 – New Comic Book Distributor Comic Flea Market Debuts

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The new comic book distribution company Comic Flea Market will be displaying at the New York Comic Con this week at booth #2374.

This will be a strategic move to better position publishers to take advantage of the quickly expanding digital marketplace and new market economic realities in print comic books.  CFM will also be distributing graphic novels, trading cards, posters and e-books.

The new distribution company will be displaying samples, offering show-specific coupons, as well as looking for new partners at the convention.

One of the key differentiators is CFM’s ability to print to order. As a business model, this suits clients in terms of removing the requirements to overprint certain titles and deal with a costly administrative bureaucracy.

Comic Flea Market will also be working with comic book stores in developing a comparable discount to Diamond Distributors.