PGW, a member of the Perseus Books Group, is a one-stop solution for world English language sales, marketing and distribution for independent publishers. PGW sets the standard for high-end, full-service distribution, and is a top ten vendor to retailers and wholesalers throughout the industry. PGW’s market leadership, experience, flexibility and customized services provide client publishers with comprehensive and targeted distribution to meet today's ever changing market place.
Overview Established in 1976, PGW headquarters are located in Berkeley, California, with US national account and international sales offices in New York. In 2007 PGW became a division of the Perseus Books Group, based in New York with print and production offices in Boulder, CO, a UK sales office in London, and distribution and short-run printing facilities in Jackson, TN. PGW provides complete publishing services – editorial consultation, sales, customer service, short run printing, warehousing and distribution, billing and collections, and detailed reporting for its clients. PGW sells to retail and wholesale accounts through an in-house sales force. PGW stores all active titles in its centrally-located distribution center in Tennessee and ships to accounts on a consolidated basis. It bills the customer, collects, and remits to the publisher the sales revenue, less returns and PGW’s distribution fee. PGW maintains a balanced editorial mix in as many genres as possible, while avoiding over-concentration in any subject areas. PGW actively pursues new relationships with both existing and emerging publishing companies. Categorically, PGW clients’ strengths are: literary fiction, serious non-fiction, self-help, personal growth and natural health, travel, business, children’s books, gay and lesbian interest, popular and counter-culture, as well as audio books. More than half of PGW’s net billing–not to mention much of its editorial strength—is its backlist. PGW’s systems and processes have evolved from continual interaction with its wide variety of client publishers. Interaction between PGW and publishers employs the latest web application and reporting solutions. Publisher clients also receive feedback on everything from marketing and title positioning to inventory management and operation logistics.	Marketing The Marketing Department of PGW is a dynamic and integral part of the distribution enterprise and the hub of activity for a client publisher’s day-to-day needs. With four PGW client account managers, plus catalog, advertising and publicity specialists, clients receive the focused time and attention necessary to help them run their businesses successfully. Account Managers Account managers act as consultants and advocates to publisher clients. They advise publishers on topics ranging from packaging and pricing issues to marketing plans and sales trend analysis and work closely with the Sales Department and its various divisions in the overall sales process. In addition to daily contact with publishers by phone and email, account managers coordinate presales marketing meetings with publishers each season and, business review meetings as needed. They ensure that each client receives a consistently high level of services across PGW and are responsible for providing every client with valuable counsel on acquisitions, pricing, format, and promotion strategies, as well as with art/design/production and cover copy and much more. Marketing Meetings Scheduled seasonally, marketing meetings, also called pre-sales meetings, are a key interaction between publishers and the PGW sales and marketing team. The format is flexible and includes a comprehensive review of sales, analysis of market trends, and formulation of backlist sales goals and sales projections for new titles. Publishers raise their own agenda items, give new title presentations and lead a strategy session on their overall program.	Catalog Within the marketing department, the catalog team produces some of PGW’s most effective sales tools -- the New Book, Childrens, Travel and International catalogs for each selling season. Each PGW client is assigned to a catalog specialist who solicits new title descriptions and cover images and works with that publisher as well as professional copywriters and editors to produce final content for the seasonal catalogs. In addition this content is fed directly to national accounts such as Barnes & Noble, Borders and Amazon and other databases to ensure that the titles are both bought on schedule and that online descriptions and specs are correct and up-to-date. Publicity The Marketing Department distributes publisher-generated publicity to sales reps and accounts via a regular weekly update across all publishers. Major national publicity is sent out immediately if necessary. The department also keeps a useful database of public relations and publicity contacts who have worked with PGW clients in the past with positive results. Advertising The Advertising Department at PGW works closely with publishers, account managers and various sales divisions to coordinate book trade advertising and account promotional activity. A key function of this department is obtaining approvals for co-op requests, including in-store promotions, display ads with wholesalers and/or in trade magazines, online promotions, author signings, and newsletters. PGW’s Pre-Approved Newsletter program allows accounts to take a coop credit of $50 for a positive review and $80 for a positive review with a cover illustration. As an added incentive accounts do not have to ask for the co-op in advance; the only requirement is that they send in the newsletter and the appropriate form. Currently about half our clients participate in this program, and if an account claims co-op for a non-participating publisher, the requests is treated as a standard co-op request, and goes to the publisher for approval.	Reporting Helix is PGW’s online reporting site where publishers go for information on sales, inventory and financial reporting and to upload new title information and artwork. Helix also has a comprehensive reference section with detailed information about the sales teams, deadlines and requirements schedules of trade shows and events and much more. PGW provides ftp access for each client where detailed sales and inventory reports and statements are uploaded each month. In addition publishers can also get access to Nielsen Bookscan point-of-sale data as well as Ingram (ipage) and Baker & Taylor (PubAlley) sales and inventory feeds through PGW. Sales PGW’s 40+ person sales staff includes national accounts coverage in New York and Berkeley, a house field force, and a six-person in house special sales group and an international sales division consisting of six in house people and many sales reps positioned around the world. Many specialty accounts are handled in house while commissioned groups are used for gift and gourmet accounts. PGW field reps have twice won Publishers Weekly’s “Rep of the Year” award in recent years. PGW’s sales and marketing organization is highly respected throughout the trade, and has a knack for choosing breakout titles as well as for building bestsellers. PGW has had numerous national bestsellers in the last ten years, five of which were million copy sellers.