Ingram Lightning Source is a huge distributor of content written by indie authors and publishing companies. The content is often distributed by Ingram to bookstores, both online and offline. The company is laying down the hammer on thousands of titles and has implemented a new policy, one that could have a huge effect on the publishing industry.
The new Ingram policy right now only applies to print books, both hardcover and paperback and not ebooks, but this might change in the next few months. Ingram said in a statement that “Beginning April 27, we will actively remove print content from our catalog that does harm to buyers and affects the reputations of our publishers and retail and library partners.” Ingram noted that it can remove the content without prior notice and that any fees paid to Lightning will not be refunded—although it did say any sales earned prior to the take down would be paid.
What are the new policies? Check it out.
- Summaries, workbooks, abbreviations, insights, or similar types of content without permission from the original author.
- Books containing blank pages exceeding 10%, notepads, scratchpads, journals, or similar types of content.
- Books or content that mirror/mimic popular titles, including but not limited to similar covers, cover design, title, author names, or similar types of content.
- Books that are misleading or likely to cause confusion by the buyer, including but not limited to inaccurate descriptions and cover art.
- Books listed at prices not reflective of the book’s market value.
- Books scanned from original versions where all or parts contain illegible content to the detriment of the buyer.
- Books created using artificial intelligence or automated processes.
It looks like the new Ingram policies are basically trying to filter out the dirge of crappy books, published by authors and small publishers. Deception is one of the big hallmarks, and they are going to do their best to lay down the ban hammer. I just wish Amazon and Kobo would implement similar policies, indie authors are destroying these ecosystems with their garbage.
Michael Kozlowski is the editor-in-chief at Good e-Reader and has written about audiobooks and e-readers for the past fifteen years. Newspapers and websites such as the CBC, CNET, Engadget, Huffington Post and the New York Times have picked up his articles. He Lives in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.
