INscribe Digital has been acquired by Independent Publishers Group

July 2016 — The digital media infrastructure company Isolation Network, Inc. has sold INscribe Digital, a leading ebook distributor based in San Francisco, to Independent Publishers Group.

INscribe Digital is a technology company specializing in next-generation publishing services and tools. The company has distributed more than 65,000 ebook titles on behalf of major book publishers, university and independent presses, literary agents and authors. INscribe’s Athena content delivery platform provides maximum transparency in distribution and sales reporting. INscribe’s seasoned team of book industry professionals leverages a decade of experience in delivering music and other digital media assets to leading retailers worldwide.

Established in 1971, Independent Publishers Group (IPG) was the first organization specifically created for the purpose of marketing titles from independent presses to the book trade. With consistent growth year-over-year, IPG’s success has come from supporting and encouraging the growth of its client publishers in the USA and worldwide. IPG has a wide reach in the market through its distribution of publishers with academic, Spanish-language, computer and general trade nonfiction and fiction titles. Clients include publishers from the USA, UK, Canada, Ireland, Israel, Spain and other countries. In the fall of 2006, the senior management of Chicago Review Press, Inc., the parent company of IPG, bought Trafalgar Square Publishing, Inc., the leading US distributor of the UK publishers. Trafalgar Square Publishing was founded in 1973 and distributes for clients such as Canongate UK, Hodder & Stoughton, Headline, Orion Publishing, Random House UK and Simon and Schuster UK.

The acquisition – which includes INscribe Digital’s staff, distribution platform, marketplace monitoring tool, and 300+ clients with over 65,000 titles – provides IPG with a state-of-the-art digital distribution platform that will be leveraged to service its entire client base. INscribe Digital clients will have access to the IPG distribution network, including over 100 ebook retailer partners. The acquisition will also open up new print distribution options for INscribe Digital clients.

Our role in the transaction

Oaklins' media specialist team in New York acted as the sole financial advisor to the shareholders of INscribe Digital’s parent company, Isolation Network, a portfolio company of Shamrock Capital Advisors, in this transaction.