. Being relatively new, Regal's discount to booksellers and their deal with Ingram isn't that great yet. However, they are making specific changes in the coming months, including w.r.t. IPG. Clearly, this kind of thing takes time. Ingram, IPG, etc., all also want to see some performance criteria met.
Their discount through the wholesale side of Ingram has nothing to do with being new. It is a choice the publisher makes. They can get set up for a standard discount through Ingram wholesale whether they are a new or old publisher, or even a self-published author with just one book. The other part of Ingram, Ingram Publisher Services, functions as a full distribution system with better discounts, sales reps, etc, and it does require more vetting/qualifications, just like IPG et al. But not the wholesale arm, which is what I'm talking about.
This part of the publishing industry needs fixing, as we all know.
I'm not sure I agree with you. But that's another whole conversation.
They have been making a concerted effort with authors and local bookstores, though. Follow the recently-published ones on Twitter and you get to see the events they're attending. That said, ALL small publishers struggle with getting mindshare. I've got writer friends who've published 4-5 books with small presses and they have to get their local indie bookstores to stock their books on consignment (meaning, the author buys the books, gives them to the bookstore to stock, and the bookstore pays the author if a copy is sold.) Here's more of their efforts in this area. Still new, but at least they're trying unlike many others:
https://regalhousepublishing.com/2017/08/15/quail-ridge-books/.
The link you provide is a to blog with a lovely post about a great independent bookstore. I'm not sure what it has to do with the publisher's efforts to make their books available to stores.
To me the bottom line is this: If a new publisher is not willing/able to make their books available through Ingram wholesale at a regular discount with returnability, they are are not doing the bare minimum to get into stores. Between that and the lack of reviews in industry mags, and the lack of any distribution info for bookstores on their website (unless I am missing something?), it looks like they either don't want to get into stores or they don't know how to get into stores.
It also makes it less likely that they will reach the criteria needed for a full-service distribution group to take them on any time soon.
B&M distribution is not a priority for all publishers, and it doesn't need to be. If that's the case with Regal House, no worries. But if they genuinely want their books in physical stores, they need to make those books available to said stores.
Look, I love small indie publishers. I love nothing better than getting cool, often obscure lit fic into the hands of readers and I go out of my way to do so. (Current examples:
Montpelier Parade by Karl Geary - Catapult Press;
Malagash by Joey Comeau - ECW Press;
The Redemption of Galen Pike by Carys Davies - Biblioasis). Other new, small, or otherwise underdog-type indie presses I love are Belt Publishing and Two Dollar Radio. One by one, step by step, these folks have gotten a distributor or at the very least offer regular discounts on Ingram and are making efforts to work with stores by sending out galleys, offering to ship small minimum orders, etc. It is hard to sell their books because they generally have very little 'buzz', not much marketing, they almost never get NY Times reviews or NPR interviews or all those other big deal things, but booksellers love books and will make a lot of effort to promote the books we love.
I know perfectly well that it is not easy. A good friend started a small press in my town. They just got accepted into IPG and it took a ton of effort (and, frankly, some connections, too). But as a bookseller I look at Regal House and think 'huh, those books
could be good' but there's no info in the usual places about the quality of the books and how to get them - no galleys on edelweiss to look at, no PW reviews, no info about distribution and so forth. Given that I am making buying decisions every single week regarding hundreds of books as it is, ones that I can acquire through existing vendors and learn about in trusted sources, I say 'oh well, I guess they aren't looking for a bricks and mortar presence' and move on.
It could very well be that Regal House is on track to get their books out into the world. If so, it would behoove them to at least mention on their website how bookstores can get their books if they want them. If they don't start strong, I fear they will bleed what money they have and run out of steam like so many others, taking the authors' work down with them (and that's really what this thread is about). In any case, without having looked closely at their books it does appear that they take this seriously and I wish them the best of luck.