the compass

What the compass does

Compass Independent Publishing Services (Compass IPS) is a privately held UK sales and marketing services company founded in 1998 by Alan Jessop, Edwin Higel, and Hugh Andrew to provide outsourced book sales representation for medium-sized and independent publishers that lack their own in-house sales forces. The company operates through an employed (non-freelance) field sales team covering the UK and Ireland, with regional Area Sales Managers and a Key Account Team managing head-office relationships with Waterstones, WH Smith, major wholesalers (including Bertrams), lifestyle retailers (Urban Outfitters, Oliver Bonas, Anthropologie), gallery and museum shops, festivals, and more than 700 independent bookshops. Service modules span trade sales, academic and professional publisher representation (Compass Academic, formed 2004), specialist non-traditional retail sales, and back-office marketing support including a weekly e-newsletter reaching 700+ booksellers. International coverage is delivered through Compass GLA, the export sales agency formed via the July 2021 acquisition of Gunnar Lie & Associates, extending the firm's reach across Europe, Middle East, Africa, Asia, and Central and South America (excluding North America and Australasia). Ireland is covered through a long-standing affiliation with Brookside Publishing Services in Dublin.

The business model is commission-based: Compass charges publishers an inclusive commission rate on book sales generated across its accounts, under multi-year contractual relationships, with finance and administrative functions centralized in Edinburgh and commercial leadership based in west London. Customer segments are horizontal across independent and mid-sized publishers spanning trade, academic, professional, and specialist publishing, with named clients including Canongate, Hay House, Kogan Page, Biteback Publishing, Pluto Press, Carcanet Press, Arcturus, Pharmaceutical Press, Emerald Publishing, Edinburgh University Press, Bristol University Press, Jessica Kingsley Publishers, Crown House Publishing, London Stereoscopic Company, Wild Things Publishing, and Birlinn. The company has no disclosed technology platform, app, or AI capability; its value proposition rests entirely on the depth of its sales-team relationships, the tenure of its personnel (most senior staff with 25–30+ years of publishing sales experience), and 25+ years of accumulated trade relationships. Compass has remained privately held since founding with no external venture or private equity investment, completing two acquisitions (Derek Searle Associates in 2008 and Gunnar Lie & Associates in 2021) and earning the 2014 IPG Services to Publishers Award and the 2017 GBS Award for Services to Independent Publishers.

Name

the compass

Legal name

Compass Independent Publishing Services Ltd

Website

https://compassips.london

Company type

Private

Founded year

1998

Operating status

Operating

Short description

Compass Independent Publishing Services is a UK-based sales and marketing agency, founded in 1998, that provides commission-based book sales representation to independent and mid-sized publishers across trade, academic, and specialist segments throughout the UK, Ireland, and international markets via its Compass GLA export division.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Publishing Sales Representation

NAICS

Advertising, Public Relations, and Related Services (5418)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYMPAAADAH

Investor Relations (IR) & Capital Markets Communications

Media, Entertainment & Sports/Advertising, Marketing & PR Services/Public Relations & Communications Agencies

Keywords

• Book sales representation
• Publishing sales services
• Trade book sales
• Academic book sales
• Publisher marketing services

Headquarters

HQ city

London

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Commission-based Sales Representation: Compass charges a highly reasonable and inclusive commission rate for standard sales service across all UK trade and academic accounts. Services include comprehensive representation for new title subscriptions and backlist stock, proactive head office liaison, coverage for UK and Ireland, back office support, and regular communication and market feedback.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels9 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Compass Independent Publishing Services (CIPS) provides commissioned sales and marketing representation for independent and medium-sized publishers across the UK and Ireland. Through employed Area Sales Managers and a Key Account Team, the company markets books to major chains, wholesalers, independent bookshops, and non-traditional retailers, with separate coverage for academic/professional publishers and international export markets via Compass GLA.

Product overview

Compass Independent Publishing Services (CIPS) is a unified sales and marketing service for independent publishers, consisting of multiple interconnected divisions and service modules. The core offering is CIPS itself, which provides comprehensive representation across UK and Ireland through employed sales professionals. Supporting divisions include Compass Academic (focused on academic and professional publishers since 2004), Compass GLA (handling international export markets), and affiliated partner Brookside Publishing Services (covering Ireland since 1987). These divisions are unified by shared infrastructure including a weekly e-newsletter reaching 700+ booksellers, a Key Account Team, and Area Sales Managers who carry combined trade and academic lists. The service modules within CIPS cover trade sales, specialist/non-traditional retail sales, marketing services, and back-office administration, all operating from offices in London and Edinburgh.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Compass Independent Publishing Services (CIPS) Unified sales and marketing representation service for independent and medium-sized publishers across the UK and Ireland, combining employed trade and academic Area Sales Managers, a Key Account Team, marketing support, and back-office administration.
• Compass Academic Specialised sales representation for academic and professional publishers, including academic calling to universities and libraries, textbook adoption campaigns, conference and education fair attendance, and bespoke mailings.
• Compass GLA (International Division) Export sales representation for all markets outside North America and Australasia, covering UK, Europe, Middle East, Africa, Asia, and Central and South America through the acquired Gunnar Lie & Associates agency.
• Specialist Sales Representation Sales to non-traditional and specialist outlets including arts centres, craft stores, farm shops, garden centres, gift shops, historic sites, record shops, stationery outlets, supermarkets, theatres, galleries, museums, and lifestyle accounts such as Urban Outfitters, Oliver Bonas, Anthropologie, and Joy.
• Marketing and Publicity Services Marketing support including the weekly Compass Points e-newsletter to over 700 bookshops, social media promotion, cover design advice, award and prize publicity, author event coordination, and bespoke academic market marketing.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over half a million copies sold for Hesperus of The Hundred-Year-Old Man Who Climbed Out of a Window and Disappeared
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers16 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Gunnar Lie & Associates LtdcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 July 2021Compass acquired export trade sales agency Gunnar Lie & Associates Ltd in July 2021, enabling Compass to offer existing and prospective clients a one-stop global service across UK, Europe, Middle East, Africa, Asia, and Central and South America.
• Derek Searle Associates (DSA)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 January 2008In 2008, Compass merged with Derek Searle Associates, becoming Compass DSA. Derek and June Searle and Bob Cripps joined the board. This merger made CDSA the clear market leader in independent sales. Clients include inspirational publisher Hay House. Derek retired in 2013 and company changed name to Compass Independent Publishing Services.
• Brookside Publishing ServicescoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 January 1998Brookside is based in Dublin and has been representing small and medium-sized publishers in Ireland since 1987. Founded by Edwin Higel, who was also one of the founders of Compass. Handles all Irish retail accounts, academic calling, institutional sales, and airport/wholesaler accounts for Compass publishers.
• Seol LtdcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 January 1998Seol Ltd was a freelance sales agency in Scotland established by Hugh Andrew in 1990. The Gaelic word for sail, it was one of the three book sales operations that affiliated to form Compass. Hugh Andrew is also a founder of Compass and runs Birlinn publishing house.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Bounce Sales & Marketing Ltd: Bounce is the most direct UK competitor to Compass IPS — a sales and marketing representation agency for independent publishers across the UK and Ireland, covering trade and academic accounts with a field sales team. Directly comparable in target customer, business model (commission-based representation), and channel (head office key accounts, independent bookshops, wholesalers).
• Publishers Group UK (PGUK): PGUK provides sales and distribution services to independent publishers in the UK, combining warehousing/distribution with key account sales representation. Operates in the same customer segment (independent publishers) and competes for the same publisher mandates as Compass IPS.
• Turnaround Publisher Services Ltd: Turnaround is a UK distributor and sales agent serving independent publishers, providing key account representation and distribution. Competes with Compass for publisher mandates and covers overlapping trade and academic retail accounts.
• Marston Book Services Ltd: Marston provides book distribution and sales representation services to UK publishers, including order processing, warehousing, and key account liaison. Closely overlaps Compass's distribution and trade sales representation model.
• Gazelle Book Services Ltd: Gazelle provides book distribution, sales, and publishing services to academic and trade publishers across the UK and internationally. Comparable to Compass Academic in particular, given its academic market specialism and full-service distribution-plus-sales offering.
• BookSource Ltd: BookSource is a Scottish-based book distributor and sales agent for independent publishers, chaired by Compass Finance Director Joanne Macleod. Operates in the same customer segment and geographic market, providing both distribution and sales representation.
• Grantham Book Services Ltd (GBS): GBS provides book distribution, warehousing, and sales representation services to UK and international publishers. Directly comparable in serving independent and medium-sized publishers with combined distribution and key account representation.
• Combined Book Services (CBS): CBS is a UK book distribution and sales agency serving independent publishers, providing warehousing, order processing, and retail sales representation. Overlaps with Compass in target customers (indie publishers) and channel coverage (UK trade accounts).

Broad incumbents

• Ingram Content Group: Ingram is a global book distributor and sales services provider operating at much larger scale than Compass, including Ingram Publisher Services which serves independent publishers with distribution and key account representation. Indirect competitor for larger independent publisher mandates and adjacent in business model.

Regional players

• Publishers Group Canada (PGC): PGC provides sales representation and distribution to independent publishers specifically in the Canadian market. Operates the same sales-representation-for-indie-publishers model as Compass but in a different geography, making it a useful structural and business-model comparable.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/compassips
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/compass-ips

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 records

Subsidiaries1 record

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 the compass