Open Road Integrated Media and Lakeside Book Company have entered a multi-faceted partnership designed to bridge the gap between digital marketing and physical book distribution.
The deal integrates Open Road’s digital discovery tools with Lakeside Book’s massive manufacturing and warehousing infrastructure.
Under the terms of the agreement, Lakeside Book’s distribution clients and its Dover Publications division will gain access to Open Road’s “Ignition” ebook backlist marketing program. This technology is designed to drive sales for older titles, a segment of the market that often struggles to find new audiences in a crowded digital market.
In a reciprocal move, Open Road will transition its print book business to Lakeside Book. According to an announcement from Open Road Media, the company will become a printing and distribution client of Lakeside Book’s expanding sales and distribution business.
The transition is not immediate. Open Road is scheduled to cut over from its current distributor, IPG, in the summer of 2027.
The partnership aims to solve a common problem for mid-sized and independent publishers: the “silo” effect between digital success and physical availability. Open Road currently markets over 100,000 books across various genres and serves more than 100 publishers, including university presses and members of the “Big 5.”
Open Road’s proprietary marketing technology has historically driven sales for backlist titles. The company reports that its technology consistently doubles the sales of backlist ebooks through its direct audience of “power readers.”
“Open Road’s digital marketing is proven to lift sales,” said Lakeside Book CEO Dave McCree.
Lakeside Book is using this momentum to differentiate itself in a tightening distribution market. The company currently provides services to more than 150 independent publishers. By adding Open Road’s Ignition program to its toolkit, Lakeside Book aims to offer a more comprehensive growth solution for these clients.
The timing follows a period of aggressive expansion for Lakeside Book. In November 2025, the company acquired Baker & Taylor Publishing Services. More recently, the firm brought on Todd McGarity, a veteran in distribution services, as Senior Vice President of Business Development.
The deal also extends to Open Road’s own publishing efforts. The company manages a backlist of more than 10,000 titles and is actively growing its frontlist through initiatives like “Rediscovery Lit” (Re-Lit), which focuses on breathing new life into out-of-print or reverted titles.
As authors and agents increasingly demand a presence across all formats, Open Road is leaning into print and audio to complement its digital roots. This shift is reflected in the new contract with Lakeside Book to handle Open Road’s print volume.
“Authors and agents are increasingly looking to us to publish in print and audio as well as eBook, and we only see that trend accelerating,” said Open Road SVP and Publisher Christine Gillespie. Open Road SVP
Dover Publications, Lakeside Book’s publishing arm, is also participating in the arrangement. The division has signed on to have its ebook backlist titles marketed through the Ignition program to expand its market reach.
Open Road CFO/COO Rob Zaffiris noted that the company is looking forward to a smooth transition from IPG, thanking the previous distributor for their work as the companies prepare for the 2027 handover.
The scale of the book industry continues to shift as digital discovery tools become as essential to a publisher’s survival as the physical warehouse used to store their inventory.
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