How to Submit Your Book for Distribution

Sunbelt is a specialty book and map distributor, focusing on titles of regional interest for the Pacific Southwest including Baja California.  We have been in the business of publishing and distributing books and maps for twenty years.  Our primary subject categories are natural and cultural history, outdoor adventure, natural science, and travel.  Our sales territory is all of North America, with marketing focused in the western United States.

What is a Distributor?A distributor acts like an arm of the publishing client.  It represents a limited number of clients on an exclusive basis, warehouses a portion of the client's stock, and utilizes the services of sales reps to call on accounts.  A distributor will engage in some level of marketing activity for their clients' products (catalog, trade shows, etc. - varies by distributor).

Sunbelt's distribution services:  Our goal is to build mutually profitable partnerships with our publishing clients and retailers over the long-term, via steady-selling titles in our specialty.  In our Distribution Program, Sunbelt provides warehousing as appropriate, order fulfillment, invoicing and collection services.  We produce 1-2 printed catalogs per year, and attend key trade shows throughout the year.  Our in-house sales staff submits new titles directly to key chain store and other buyers, and we also work with field sales rep groups who represent our line of products to book and specialty stores throughout the US.

While we expect our clients to develop and implement their own marketing and promotion plans, we want to work in cooperation with you to achieve maximum coverage for your titles.  Our marketing program, for frontlist titles, includes production of sales materials and press kits for use by our sales and marketing staff and some scheduling of signings or speaking engagements, where appropriate.

If you feel that your product is a good fit for our program, here are the submission requirements:

1. We will need a sample of your product. Please note: All products must have ISBN and price on back cover in Bookland/EAN barcode format. A UV-coated cover (not varnish) and perfect binding are also recommended as they enhance the resalability of books received in returns.

If you are contacting us prior to publication (we ideally want to know about books 3-6 months in advance of publication), we will need the following information:

a. Title, ISBN, retail price, author's name, expected ship date
b. Publication format: hardcover, paperback, board book, etc.
c. New edition? Include ISBN for previous edition
d. Brief description of contents
e. Sample cover artwork

2. A description of your publishing program and marketing plans for your title(s) are also required. Please include biographical information about the author(s), especially as related to the subject matter of the book, and his/her availability to participate in promotional events.

Please note: Sunbelt will not consider POD (print-on-demand) books for distribution. Also, due to the volume of incoming submissions, we are unable to return review copies or any other materials received.

Your package may be submitted digitally, by emailing to Jennifer Redmond at editor@sunbeltpub.com, or in hard copy by mailing to:

Jennifer Redmond
Sunbelt Publications, Inc.
1256 Fayette Street
El Cajon, CA 92020