2005 News Archive

Harbor House becomes independent distributor

AUGUSTA, Georgia — In a move designed to dramatically and positively impact book sales, Harbor House Publishers has announced it will independently sell and distribute its growing list of titles, ending a three-year relationship with exclusive distribution giant National Book Network of Lanham, Md.

"This move was long in coming," said publisher Randall Floyd. "While there are some advantages to being represented by an exclusive national distributor, the disadvantages far outweigh them."

Founded in 1997, Harbor House was originally represented to the trade by BookWorld of Sarasota, Fla., but has been with NBN since 2002.

In 2004, Publisher’s Weekly named the Augusta, Georgia-based company one of the top 15 small publishing houses in the country.

"Our one-on-one work with authors and bookstores is what works and why we continue to grow, said Associate Publisher Carrie McCullough. "We see independent sales and distribution as the next natural step in the evolution of good things a progressive and ambitious publisher can do to better serve its growing list of talented authors."

The implementation of an in-house sales and distribution force reflects the publishing company’s "personal dedication to their authors and a firm belief that no one can sell Harbor House titles better than Harbor House," Ms. McCullough added.

According to Ms. McCullough, direct accounts with the major national vendors are already in place, assuring a smooth transition and no disruption in sales.

"In fact, we predict a sharp increase in orders as our titles becomes more accessible to a broader range or retailers," she said.

FOR MORE INFORMATION, CONTACT CARRIE MCCULLOUGH AT (706) 738-0354