Here Come the e-Catalogs

HarperCollins is the first to announce plans for an electronic sales catalog, which they will preview at BEA and launch in beta form over the next six to 12 months. Among the planned features: "Book covers, prices, on-sale dates, reviews, quotes and important media alerts will be updated in real time as soon as they have been entered. Booksellers will be able to create lists and place orders online as they review front list book pages, and an author's entire backlist will be visible as well." Catalog pages will link to other content, and "booksellers will be able to read a portion of a large selection of galleys and complete Advance Reader Editions for certain titles."

While Harper doesn't specify how and when they will curtail printed catalogs, the new system is cited as helping to "significantly reduce HarperCollins' paper output, which is a major part of an ongoing effort to reduce the publishers' carbon footprint." President of sales Josh Marwell says in the announcement, "Today both our customers and our salespeople need a selling tool that offers the most up-to-date information about our titles delivered in the most efficient and sustainable way possible.

The electronic catalog is the solution we have been waiting for. We look forward to the ongoing feedback from all of our customers as we develop this exciting new tool."For insights on a similar-but-different process, the case studies provided as part of last Friday's Book Industry Study Group conference on experimentation and innovation include a description of Hachette Book Group's efforts to reengineer and automate their catalog creation process.
Source - Publishers Lunch.