HBG Distribution – Publishers
Publishers
It’s our mission to provide our publishers with excellent service and sales growth opportunities. We’re proud to be home to a number of client publishers in our facility who sit alongside the Hachette Book Group publishers at our distribution facility in Lebanon, IN.
About Us
Smart systems. Seamless service.
Our Indianapolis facility features a cutting-edge Goods-to-Person (GTP) carousel with 30,000 bin locations—each storing a unique title. When an order is placed, the carousel rotates to present the exact item, enabling pickers to process up to 600 units per hour with precision and speed.
For slower-moving titles, we deploy manual pick-to-voice and pick-to-light systems, achieving up to 500 units per hour. All picking methods are integrated via a conveyor system that delivers cartons directly to Quality Control.
Our bulk storage area is powered by a state-of-the-art Very Narrow Aisle (VNA) racking system, operated by advanced person-up forklifts—ensuring efficiency at every level.
Performance
Maintaining High Quality Service
We don’t just deliver services—we build partnerships. Through regular publisher meetings, performance insights, and strategic collaboration, we help our partners stay ahead in a fast-moving industry.
Leading Edge Delivery
Excellence is our standard—improvement is our mindset.
We take pride in delivering high-quality service and are constantly pushing boundaries to do more, evolve faster, and exceed expectations.
Key Statistics
Number of Employees
500 Employees
Publishers
8 Group Publishers
15 Client Publishers
Picking Locations
205,000 Bulk
91,000 Forward
Warehouse Space
2 Million sq. ft total warehouse space
Units/Titles Stored
70,000 Unique Titles Stored
137 Million Units Stored
Units Dispatched Each Year
150 Million
Meet Our Publishers
Group Publishers
Client Publishers
Our services
Is Hachette US Distribution right for you?
If you are publisher looking for sales and distribution services, here are some things to know in order to determine whether Hachette US Distribution is a good fit:
- Do you have an existing sales footprint in the US and internationally?
- Are you seeking a partner to support improved delivery to Amazon?
- Are you looking for an excellent supply chain partner?
- Through Hachette Book Group, our parent company, we also offer sales as a service to non-Hachette publishers.
To get in touch and let us know what you’re interested in please contact: AboutServices@hbgusa.com
Comprehensive Distribution Services from Start to Finish
At Hachette Book Group US Distribution, we provide end-to-end warehousing and order fulfilment solutions for our client publishers—covering everything from master data management to cash collection.
Key Services
Master Data
With over 80,000 active customer records and 290,000 active ISBN’s, our dedicated Master data and New Accounts team are responsible for managing the integrity of title and customer data set up within our OTC environment.
Order Process
We accept orders via many channels, such as Electronic Data Interchange (EDI), email, phone, and SFTP. We also have relationships with key third-party ordering and catalogue partners such as: BookNet, Edelweiss, MarketTime, PubEasy and PubNet. Furthermore, we support all types of orders from printer drop-ship/direct to consignment and everything in between.
Order Fulfillment
Our distribution center dispatches over 150 million units every year. Orders received will be picked and dispatched using our leading-edge capability and within 2–3 days. To better support our independent bookstore customers, we initiate the order fulfillment process immediately following receipt of the PO at the warehouse.
Delivery
We have excellent relationships with all our carriers. We work in partnership with UPS and USPS for parcels within the US and Purolator for parcels in Canada. We partner with multiple TL and LTL carriers to ensure coverage and Tandem is our preferred international freight forwarder. We understand the importance of tracking shipments and can provide proof of delivery where applicable.
Invoicing
We operate a post-picking invoice system which is sent electronically to our customers ensuring we are only billing for what we have physically sent. We also manually invoice items not sent from the warehouse, such as bindery shipments, digital and print on demand at request.
Claims and Returns
Occasionally our customers may need to return stock. We can arrange this in a number of ways supporting a manual return or a stripped cover returns. In the rare event of a claim, our experienced customer service team will be on hand to handle the request professionally and quickly.
Cash Collections
Our credit services team are there to assess customer risk, issue statements and manage receivables in order to collect monies from customers. Upon receipt of those monies, our accounting team allocates receivables so that those monies can be passed on to our clients as quickly as possible.
Finance
Our accounting team reconcile, and remit monies collected on a monthly basis to our clients, ensuring regular cash flows. On a monthly basis we provide sales statements and other financial documentation in order for our clients to be recording accounting transactions in their own books.
Sales Services
Driving Sales Across Every Channel
At Hachette Book Group (HBG), our dynamic team of over 100 sales professionals leads strategy, execution, and growth across all market segments. We’re committed to helping publishers reach readers wherever they are.
Retail Strategy Group
Our Imprint Sales Directors serve as the vital link between publishers and sales, collaborating on titles, promotions, co-op programs, and print run planning. They lead monthly and annual business reviews to identify priorities, implement impactful merchandising, and execute tailored strategies. Our Sales Operations and Inventory Management teams work closely with Sales and Publishing to ensure we’re positioned to capture demand through real-time forecasting and proactive inventory planning.
Retail and Field Sales
Our National Account Managers are focused on our national retail accounts including Barnes & Noble and Books-A-Million and our dedicated field and telephone reps are located throughout the country, supporting our independent bookstores nationwide.
Mass Merchants, Jobbers & Libraries
Servicing Readerlink accounts (Clubs, Military, Grocery, Airport retailers, Walmart, Target), libraries, and wholesalers.
Special Markets
Made up of our in-house sales reps who focus on the specialty retail and wholesale channel, the Premium & Proprietary channels, as well as our author and catalog business. We also work closely with multiple commission rep groups and have a presence in national showrooms.
Children’s Sales
Specialized reps focused on children’s titles across major retailers and wholesalers including Amazon, B&N, BAM, Indigo, Walmart, Target, and educational wholesalers.
Digital & Online Sales
This team manages print, eBook, and digital audio sales across all platforms—including Amazon—with a format-agnostic approach that ensures seamless execution and maximized visibility. They work closely with our Metadata team to enhance discoverability and drive performance across channels.
International Sales
Global sales throughout the world with exclusive distribution in the UK, ANZ, India, South Africa, Singapore & Malaysia, and Mexico as well as sales reps based worldwide selling to retail chains, independents, specialty, and online accounts. Our sales to Canadian national accounts are managed by Toronto-based staff while sales to independent retail, specialty, and library accounts in Canada are covered by sales reps across Canada.
Publisher Tools & Insights
Empowering Publishers with Smart Data & Seamless Access
At Hachette Book Group US Distribution, we’re proud of our advanced publisher information systems. We understand the power of high-quality data and timely reporting—and we deliver it in ways that work for you.
SalesTracker
Our primary reporting tool, built on the powerful Strategy platform, offers robust, customizable insights into sales, inventory, POS, and more.
- Secure, web-based BI platform with on-demand, ad hoc, or scheduled reporting
- Modify standard reports or create custom ones tailored to your needs
- Interactive dashboards provide a holistic view with drill-down capabilities
Data Feeds
Prefer to work within your own systems? We offer daily data feeds so you can generate reports directly from your internal tools.