A gateway for international publishing and bookselling into the Arab & African Markets
"The opportunity to distribute content close to these regional markets is key, since speed is always a consideration when shipping from the US or UK."
"It is a wonderful sign of confidence in the publishing business opportunities in Sharjah, the UAE, the Middle East, and Africa, that Ingram will now have a Lightning Source facility in the region offering full POD services. This will be a gamechanger for the book industry, creating access to millions of books from around the world to be printed locally. This new service will facilitate tapping into the region’s billion-dollar book market that is becoming more robust, receptive, and competitive than ever."
What is Lightning Source Sharjah?
Ingram Content Group (“Ingram”) and the Sharjah Book Authority have established a joint venture to operate a Lightning Source facility in Sharjah, the world’s first free trade zone for publishing.
How can Lightning Source Sharjah help publishers in the region?
Lightning Source Sharjah can help alleviate the challenges associated with predicting title demand, affordable distribution, and efficient print runs by making your titles easily and swiftly accessible to millions of readers locally and worldwide. Lightning Source uses virtual inventory and Print-on-Demand (POD) technology to help you reach readers throughout the world and print local to where your readers live.
What is virtual inventory?
Virtual inventory is the digital equivalent of having physical copies of every book in a warehouse and ready to ship. As with the traditional model, your books are available when someone wants them. However, unlike the traditional model, virtual warehouse “space” is infinite and not restricted to a single specific location. Virtual inventory removes the up-front cost of huge print runs and eliminates the risks of having money tied up in physical stock.
How does Lightning Source Sharjah support publishers?
Lightning Source Sharjah supports publishers by making their books available to bookstores and libraries both within the region and globally. Using POD, books are made available to over 40,000 bookstores and libraries throughout the world. Instead of holding stock waiting for demand, books are printed when orders are placed.
How else can publishers use Lightning Source?
As a publisher you can place print orders through Lightning Source as required. Unlike a traditional printer you do not need to order thousands of copies upfront. With your Lightning Source account, you can order what you need when you need it.
How quickly can books be produced?
Books will be manufactured within two working days from receipt of an order. For example: an order received before 12 midday UAE time on a Monday will typically be ready for shipment by 5 p.m. on the Wednesday.
What customer support is available?
You will be assigned an Account Manager who is local to the region, speaks both English and Arabic, and can support you throughout the journey. Additionally, the Ingram customer support team based in the UK will be supporting the local Account Manager and new Lightning Source Sharjah publishers.
What currency will be used within the region?
All publishers and retailers within the region will buy in US Dollars (USD). To sell your titles within the region, you will need to price them in USD and apply a wholesale discount. Any sale made through Lightning Source will be paid to you in USD as well.
How does it work?
Example
Retail price of book:
$15.00
Wholesale discount 50%:
$7.50
Print Cost:
$3.00
Publisher Compensation:*
$4.50
In this example, you as publisher will get paid $4.50 on every copy of this book sold to a retailer or library.
*Publisher Compensation equals Retail price - (Wholesale discount + print cost)
Which countries will the Lightning Source Sharjah facility export to?
Lightning Source Sharjah will be able to deliver to most international markets however it is expected the main markets will be within the UAE and key countries close to the facility.
I am a retailer – how can I start ordering books from Lightning Source Sharjah?
Fill out this form and register your interest in learning more about ordering books from the Lightning Source Sharjah facility. Our representative will then be in touch to answer any questions and help you set up an account on ipage®, Ingram’s online search, order, and account management platform.
I am a publisher – how do I get started with Lightning Source?
Register your interest in learning more about this new facility by completing the form below. One of our account representatives will then be in touch to answer any questions and help you set up a Lightning Source account.