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Faber to close its sales and distribution service for small publishers

In the UK, Faber will close its Faber Factory Plus sales service for small independent publishers, reports the Bookseller. Clients of the service, which launched in 2012, including  Lonely Planet and Pushkin Press, have been given six months’ notice to find new distribution and sales representation following Faber’s decision, which the publisher said was made ‘with a heavy heart … after a difficult year last year’. Faber reported an operating loss of £813,000 (A$1.74m) in the year to March 2015, up from £5000 ($1068) in the year to March 2014. Publishers are reportedly disappointed with the decision to close the sales service, with one publisher describing it as a ‘big blow’. Brett Wolstencroft from Daunt Books told the Bookseller, ‘we weren’t up and running for long with the Faber Factory Plus but it was long enough to see that it was making a significant difference to us. Faber Factory was a great fit for us and our titles and there aren’t a lot of other ones we feel will fit.’ Faber will continue to offer distribution services to some of its Faber Factory Plus clients, including Scribe UK and Murdoch Books.

 

Category: International news