Sharjah Market

NEW! SHARJAH MARKET 

Ingram Lightning Source and the Sharjah Book Authority established a joint venture to operate a Lightning Source print facility in Sharjah, the world’s first free trade zone for publishing. The Lightning Source's location in Sharjah means publishers can reach readers within the Middle East and North Africa more quickly and efficiently.

Lightning Source Sharjah offers over one million titles to retailers and libraries across the Middle East and the greater region. This vast and growing title catalog establishes Lightning Source Sharjah as the largest print-on-demand distribution operation in the market to benefit both publishers and retailers. Lightning Source Sharjah’s titles are supplied in 169 different languages from publishers in trade, academic, and religious segments.  

Lightning Source Sharjah helps publishers efficiently and sustainably meet consumer, retailer, and library demand in the region. Over 300 retailers and distributors in the region order directly from Lightning Source Sharjah with the benefit of improved delivery times, increased customer satisfaction, and reduced supply chain costs. 

Publishers can now:

• Place Publisher Direct (short-run) orders to print in Sharjah.
• Price books for sale from Lightning Source Sharjah, making them discoverable by brick-and-mortar stores, online retailers, and libraries in the Middle East & North Africa.

How do I start selling my books through Lightning Source Sharjah?

What is the benefit of signing the Lightning Source Sharjah agreement?

What is Sharjah’s significance to publishing?

What services are available to IngramSpark publishers through Lightning Source Sharjah?

What languages are spoken in the UAE?

What are the Most In-Demand Content Categories in the Middle East Market?

What types of books are available?

What trim sizes and specifications will be supported?

Which countries will the Sharjah facility export to?

What are the expected turnaround times for printing?

What currency will be used within the region?

Do you recommend a specific wholesale discount for titles made available to retailers within the region?

Which retailers can order from Lightning Source Sharjah?

What is the proper way to address orders being shipped within the UAE?

Q: What is Sharjah’s significance to publishing?

• Sharjah is the third largest emirate in the United Arab Emirates and the city is known as the cultural and literature hub of the UAE.
• Sharjah was awarded the honors of Cultural Capital of the Arab World by UNESCO in 1998 and World Book Capital 2019 by UNESCO in 2019.
• The UAE is one of the fastest-growing markets for publishing and is expected to triple in size to approximately $650 million by 2030.
• The Middle Eastern book market imports over $1 billion worth of books and printed materials annually with half of all imports coming from the UK, USA, and France.

Q: What languages are spoken in the UAE?

A: The official language of the United Arab Emirates is Arabic. Modern Standard Arabic is taught in schools, and most native Emiratis speak a dialect of Gulf Arabic that is like that spoken in surrounding countries. English continues to dominate as the language for business and higher education. In addition to English, several languages are spoken among the expatriate community, including various dialects of Pashto, Hindi, Balochi, and Persian.

Q: What is the benefit of signing the Lightning Source Sharjah agreement?

A: Publishers can price their books in USD for Sharjah. Pricing for the region will make those books discoverable by retailers in the Middle East & North Africa. The books will be printed from the new facility in the Sharjah Publishing City, and retailers will receive their orders much more efficiently than ordering from the US or UK.

 Q: How do I start selling my books through Lightning Source Sharjah?

INGRAMSPARK

The optional Sharjah agreement will be available to all new accounts.

The optional Sharjah agreement will be available to all existing accounts through the “Expand Your Reach” card on the account dashboard:

Q: What services will be available to IngramSpark publishers through Lightning Source Sharjah?

When an IngramSpark account opts into the Sharjah agreement:

• The Sharjah pricing market is available for all new title setups.
• The Sharjah print facility is listed in the print location drop-down and can be selected when placing a print order.
• Publishers can add pricing for their books to the Sharjah market to have books available for sale there.

Most In-Demand Content Categories in the Middle East Market

Q: What types of books are available?

Book Types:

• Black & White
• Premium Color

Paper Types:

• Crème, White

Binding Types:

• Paperback Only

Q: What trim sizes and specifications will be supported?

The following trim sizes are available with Black & White interior printed on 50lb/74gsm Creme paper (18 - 1050 pages) 

The following trim sizes are available with Black & White interior printed on 50lb/74gsm White paper (18-1200 pages) 

 The following trim sizes are available with Premium Color interior printed on 70lb/104gsm White paper (18-900 pages)

Q: What are the expected turnaround times for printing?

A: Books will be manufactured within 3-5 working days from receipt of an order. This will be reduced to 2 business days for express, and 1 business day for rush orders. The work week in this region is Sunday-Thursday.

Q: What currency will be used within the region?

A: The US Dollar will be the primary currency used for orders placed through the Lightning Source Sharjah facility. Publisher compensation will also be transacted in USD and paid in the publisher's preferred currency.

Q: Do you recommend a specific wholesale discount for titles made available to retailers within the region?

A: We recommend publishers set their wholesale discount comparative to their US discount wherever possible. Publishers can offer a wholesale discount between 40% and 55%. However, with current market trends, we recommend setting a discount on the higher end of the range. Local Sales channels will convert the USD price to AED. AED retail prices are similar to USD prices and publishers can price books the same or slightly higher.

Q: Which retailers can order from Lightning Source Sharjah?

A: We work with many of the key retailers within the region, including:

• Al Maya Group

• Kinokuniya

• Ciel

• Dar Al Fajr

• Jashanmal

• Magrudy

• Manga Bound

• Pan World

Q: Which countries will the Sharjah facility export to?

A: Lightning Source Sharjah will be able to deliver to 13 designated countries in the MENA region:

• United Arab Emirates
• Bahrain
• Egypt
• Israel
• Jordan
• Kuwait
• Lebanon
• Oman
• Pakistan
• Palestinian Territories
• Qatar
• Saudi Arabia
• Turkey

Q: What is the proper way to address orders being shipped within the UAE?

A: When placing an order to be printed from the Lightning Source Sharjah facility and shipped within the region, publishers must provide the emirate (see list below) in the ship-to address, as there are no postal codes in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Publishers must provide your email ID, mobile number, and emirate as a minimum requirement to have your books sent anywhere in the UAE.

There are 7 emirates:

• Abu Dhabi

• Ajman

• Dubai

• Fujairah

• Ras Al Khaimah

• Sharjah

• Umm al Quwain

 Example of Address Format: