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The Independent Publishers Guild (IPG) has reached a milestone of 650 members.
The publishing community, which has supported independents for the last 56 years, said membership is at an all-time high after more than 90 companies joined in 2018 - an average of two new members a week.
Recent new recruits to the IPG, taking its membership beyond 650, include the Harvard Business Review Press, Amber Books and Awesome Media & Entertainment.
Among its members are both small and medium-sized owner-managed companies, including small start-ups, and less than a third of its members are based in London. Between them - their specialisms range from trade and children’s to specialist, academic, professional and educational publishing - they bring in an annual turnover of more then £1.1bn.
IPG chief executive Bridget Shine said she was “thrilled” the organisation had surpassed 650 members but, far from getting complacent, the organisation would be “redoubling” its efforts to serve members “with even more events, resources and reasons to belong to the IPG”.
Benefits of membership already include the IPG’s spring and autumn conferences, the opportunity to exhibit on its collective stands at the London and Frankfurt Book Fairs and to access its mentoring scheme and receive support in relation to rights. Other more recent additions to services have included the IPG Podcast and the IPG Skills Hub, a new gateway to training and professional development for independent publishers. Resources the hub provides include guidelines for Dignity at Work policies and on working with retailers and identifying and engaging consumers. The hub has been licensed by the Australian Publishers Association and shortlisted for cross-industry awards recognising achievement in e-learning.
Shine commented: “We are thrilled to have reached the landmark of 650 members. The independent publishers who founded the IPG could never have imagined that it would one day embrace so many companies, and we are deeply honoured to be at the heart of such a vibrant and warm community. While our events and services have been transformed, we are proud to have retained the core purpose and ethos of the IPG: to help independent publishers make their businesses better, and to facilitate the kind of mutual support and networking that is special and unique to our part of the publishing world.
“This milestone is a reminder of the incredible depth and diversity in independent publishing in 2018. As we enter the new year we will be redoubling our efforts to serve all our members with even more events, resources and reasons to belong to the IPG.”