Midpoint Trade Books

What Midpoint Trade Books does

Midpoint Trade Books is a sales and distribution services company for independent book publishers, founded in 1996 and headquartered in Chicago. The company operates as a division of IPG (Independent Publishers Group) following its acquisition in summer 2018, which provided Midpoint with access to IPG's global network of print, ebook, and audiobook sales outlets. Midpoint serves independent publishers across multiple verticals including religion, health, business, fiction, and social science, aggregating their publishing programs under a single distribution entity to achieve greater market strength than individual publishers could attain alone. Named clients include Messenger International, Family Health Publications (CalorieKing), Gazelles Inc., Beaufort Books, and others whose titles have collectively achieved significant commercial reach, including 15+ million copies sold for CalorieKing titles and New York Times Bestseller placements.

The company's core technology infrastructure consists of two proprietary platforms: Midpoint Access, a self-service portal providing publishers with instant account data and reporting across distribution accounts, and Midpoint eVolve, a digital marketplace entry platform enabling ebook distribution through multiple digital outlets. Distribution occurs through retail bookstores, internet retailers (Amazon, Barnes & Noble, IndieBound, Books-A-Million), and direct wholesale channels with standardized discount terms of 50% for returnable accounts and 55% for nonreturnable accounts. The company maintains offices in Chicago, New York City, Berkeley, Kansas, and Florida, with a lean operational team of 1-10 employees.

Midpoint's revenue model is transaction-based, earning margins through wholesale pricing on book distribution. Publishers are onboarded through a sales-led acquisition process with 4-6 week turnaround, and the company handles front list, back list, and digital title distribution. Marketing efforts focus on a digital catalog, PR blog updates, and organic social media presence on Facebook and Twitter. The value proposition centers on providing independent publishers with industry tools and retail access they traditionally could not obtain independently, combining a hands-on small-team approach with IPG's broader distribution scale.

Name

Midpoint Trade Books

Legal name

Midpoint Trade Books

Website

https://midpointtrade.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1996

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Midpoint Trade Books, founded in 1996, provides sales and distribution services for independent book publishers across print, ebook, and audiobook formats. Operating as a division of IPG since 2018, it serves clients through retail, internet, and digital channels via proprietary platforms Midpoint Access and Midpoint eVolve.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Chicago

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices6 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Book Distribution Services: Distribution and sales representation services for independent publishers, earning margins through wholesale pricing with 50% returnable and 55% nonreturnable discount terms to retailers
2. Publisher Representation: Full-service sales and distribution representing independent book publishers through aggregatng publishing programs under one name with greater market strength

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Midpoint Trade Books provides full-service sales and distribution representation for independent book publishers, aggregating publishing programs under one name to deliver greater market strength. As a division of IPG (Independent Publishers Group), the company distributes front list, back list, ebook, and audiobook titles through retail bookstores, internet retailers, and digital marketplaces.

Product overview

Midpoint Trade Books operates as a division of IPG (Independent Publishers Group), offering a comprehensive suite of book sales and distribution services for independent publishers. The company provides three core service pillars: Distribution (aggregating publishing programs with market strength), Sales (strategy and execution across retail and digital channels), and Digital (ebook and audiobook distribution via Midpoint eVolve). The Midpoint Access platform provides publishers with account data access and reporting tools. The company handles front list, back list titles in print, ebook, and audiobook formats, reaching global sales outlets including Amazon, Barnes & Noble, IndieBound, and Books-A-Million. Midpoint Trade Books was founded in 1996 and joined IPG in summer 2018.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Distribution Services

Quantifiable outcome

• 15+ million copies sold for CalorieKing titles
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers7 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• IPG (Independent Publishers Group)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorMidpoint Trade Books is a division of IPG: Independent Publishers Group. IPG aggregates many publishing programs under one name with larger catalog and greater market strength than any individual client publisher could achieve alone. IPG provides Midpoint access to global network of print, ebook, and audiobook sales outlets.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Market position

Competitive moat3 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/midpointnyc
• Facebookfacebook.com/midpointtradebooks
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/midpoint-trade-books_2

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Midpoint Trade Books