Book_distributor
This is a list of book distributors, companies that act as distributors for book publishers, selling primarily to the book trade. The list includes defunct and merged/acquired companies, and distributors whose primary business is not books, such as comic books. The companies may provide exclusive distribution rights, or act as a wholesaler or warehouser of publisher's titles. Many of the companies distribute other products, and some also sell directly to the public. Book distributors offer a consolidated list of publisher's titles, such that bookstores can purchase from a wider range of publishers than if they had to open separate accounts with each publisher, who often require a minimum order that the bookstore cannot meet. Most small or independent publishers have relationships with a distributor, including self-published authors, who often use services like Amazon.com to sell to the public. The large publishing companies, including the "Big Five" (Penguin Random House, Hachette, Macmillan, HarperCollins and Simon & Schuster), act as distributors for the numerous imprints they have acquired over the years.