Ingram Steps Up for Bookshops and Libraries as Peak Season Orders Grow

Orders placed with Ingram, one of the largest book distributors in the world, are substantially bigger than they were at the same point last year. The company is picking up work that used to flow through other channels, and it is doing so as the holiday selling season begins.

A distributor is the middle link in the book chain. It takes stock from publishers and delivers it to bookshops and libraries, often in the same warehouse where it stores the books. Ingram has been filling gaps in that chain for bookstores and libraries, according to Publishers Lunch, the publishing industry newsletter. The company is doing this while publishers continue to have supply problems and while the trade deals with the aftermath of Baker & Taylor's closure.

Baker & Taylor is a book distributor with a history of about 200 years. NPR reported on 7 January 2026 that the company was closing, and the shutdown has consequences for public libraries, which relied on it to buy and process new titles.

Phil Ollila, Ingram's chief content officer, told Publishers Lunch that the company is well placed for the busy months ahead. He said Ingram does not expect a perfect holiday season. He also said he does not see major supply chain disruptions arising from anything the company controls.

Ingram also runs a print-on-demand service through its Lightning Source operation. Print-on-demand means a book is printed only when someone orders it, rather than being printed in advance and stored. According to Ingram's own publisher FAQ, the Lightning Source presses can print 800 pages in less than a minute. The company says print-on-demand wholesale orders are usually printed and shipped within two business days.

Ingram describes its services as covering digital and physical book distribution, print-on-demand, and digital learning materials. For a bookshop or a library, the practical question is simple: will the book arrive when it is needed? Ingram's answer, for now, is that it expects to be ready for the rush.

The chain from a printing press to a shelf depends on many hands, and when one link weakens, the others have to stretch. Right now, the stretching is happening in warehouses and print halls rather than on the shop floor, and readers will feel the result only when a title they want is in stock.