Ingram Lightning Source Sharjah’s Hassan Ali, left, and Rushd Bookstore CEO Abdulrahman Alhamdan at the signing of the new collaborative partnership agreement on the floor of the Sharjah Book Authority’s fourth Sharjah Booksellers Conference. In the rear center of the photo is Mansour Al Hassani, the Sharjah Book Authority’s director of publisher relations and of the Sharjah SPC, and Mohamed Noor Hersi. Image: Ingram
By Porter Anderson, Editor-in-Chief | @Porter_Anderson
Alhamdan: ‘Faster Access to a Broader Catalogue’
Many of our readers will recall that Ingram Lightning Source and Sharjah Book Authority announced in November 2021 the opening of a major facility at the world’s first free trade zone for publishing, Sharjah Publishing City.
Now called the SPC Free Zone, the Book Authority has recognized the development of this printing center as an essential, anchoring component in the promise of Sharjah Publishing City to become a publishing gateway into the Arab world and African markets of world publishing.
Today (April 10), Lightning Source Sharjah—which is a joint venture between Ingram Content Group’s Lightning Source LLC and the Sharjah Book Authority—has announced a strategic collaboration with Rushd Bookstore, a widely recognized and respected academic and educational bookseller in Saudi Arabia.
This collaboration enables Rushd Bookstore to fulfil customer orders directly through the Lightning Source Sharjah print-on-demand facility, ensuring faster delivery across Saudi Arabia.
Abdulrahman Alhamdan
“Being able to print and ship books closer to our customers means we can provide faster access to a broader catalogue than ever before,” says Abdulrahman Alhamdan, the CEO of Rushd Bookstore, which is based in Hail and was founded in 1979 in Riyadh.
“This partnership supports our mission to serve students, educators, and researchers with timely access to the academic content they need.”
Taylor: ‘Speed of Delivery Across the Middle East’
David Taylor, senior vice-president of Ingram Content Group UK, says, “Rushd Bookstore is a cornerstone of academic publishing in the kingdom.
“By working together, we’re able to offer institutions, scholars, and general readers a more responsive and efficient way to access both international and local content.
David Taylor
“This collaboration highlights our commitment to enhancing availability and speed of delivery across the Middle East.”
Rushd Bookstore has nine locations in Saudi Arabia, and a strong reputation for its work in both bookselling and publishing, distributing titles in Islamic studies; education; social sciences; and law.
This new connection with Lightning Source Sharjah is expected, the parties say, to offer customers immediate access to thousands of print-on-demand titles from publishers around the world—eliminating delays often associated with traditional supply chains.
The collaboration represents what Ingram Content Group describes as “a significant step in addressing the evolving needs of academic and professional communities in Saudi Arabia, while expanding publisher reach through world-class print and distribution technology.”
Rushd’s services encompass content provision both in Arabic and English and in many disciplines.
As Publishing Perspectives readers know, Sharjah Book Authority is chaired by the Sheikha Bodour Al Qasimi, and directed by CEO Ahmed bin Rakkad Al Ameri.
The Book Authority’s fourth edition of the fast-growing Sharjah International Booksellers Conference—from which we have reported this week—drew a record audience of more than 750 participants from 92 nations. As Publishing Perspectives announced in 2023, John Ingram is a member of the Sheikha Bodour’s board for the Sharjah Book Authority.
For some of our coverage this week from the 2025 Sharjah International Booksellers Conference, see our write-up of the Sheikha Bodour’s opening keynote address.
A part of the sprawling Lightning Source Sharjah installation at Sharjah Publishing City (SPC Free Zone) in the United Arab Emirates. This view was made available to the press shortly after the completion of the physical operational center in Sharjah in the summer of 2022. Image: SBC
More from Publishing Perspectives on Ingram Content Group is here, more on publishing news and developments in the Middle East is here, and more specifically on the publishing industry and world outreach of the United Arab Emirates’ third state of Sharjah is here. More from us on this week’s Sharjah International Booksellers Conference is here.