Authors who are actively involved in self-publishing or subsidy publishing are naturally best served by staying up to date on developments in the book industry that affect book distribution. This week Ingram, the book wholesale giant, announced a reorganization that consolidates the publishing industry subsidiaries of Ingram under one umbrella.

Ingram Digital is moving into Ingram Book Group, which already included Ingram Book Group and Lightning Source. The purpose of this reorganization is to provide a one-stop place for digital and print distribution needs and digital support services for publishers, libraries, and bookstores.This development is the most recent in a series of moves that have allowed Ingram to morph from a traditional book distributor into a company that offers digital distribution and print on demand to publishers, libraries, and booksellers. It is an obvious attempt to head off the competition offered by the partnership of Baker & Taylor, another major wholesaler, with mega-printer R.R. Donnelly, which is set to take effect in September 2009. Their new association will allow Baker & Taylor to provide print on demand services for filling book orders. Ingram’s initiative also addresses Amazon.com’s ownership of Booksurge, the print on demand company that allows authors and publishers to offer print on demand titles for sale to customers directly on Amazon.com.

Baker & Taylor and Ingram are middle channels with access to libraries and bricks and mortar stores while Amazon.com and Barnesandnoble.com bypass the middle man in selling books directly to end customers. Baker & Taylor and Ingram are strategizing ways to not become irrelevant in today’s changing marketplace.

The future seems to belong to those who place the author in direct contact with the reader.It is difficult for authors on their own to establish relationships with online booksellers, bricks and mortar booksellers, wholesalers and distributors, as well as individual book purchasers. Many authors need assistance when navigating these waters; this is when publishing expertise becomes essential. This is how a company with a history of relationships with all the players in the area of book sales and distribution, such as Dorrance, provides authors a marked advantage.