Pubnet
The Next Generation
RATEX User Group
July 2003
Minneapolis, MN
What is Pubnet?
The publishing industry’s leading
Internet-based electronic commerce
exchange that allows thousands of
booksellers to access and place
orders with hundreds of publisher
and suppliers.
Background Info
 Originally created in the early 80’s by:
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National Association of College Stores
Association of American Publishers
American Booksellers Association
R.R. Bowker
Publishers
 Major Publishers using Pubnet
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Random House
HarperCollins
Simon & Schuster
Pearson
AOL-Time Warner Publishing
McGraw Hill
Thompson Learning
A complete list can be found at www.Pubnet.org
Discounts
 Publishers offering discounts for Pubnet Orders
 HarperCollins 1%
 Thompson ½-1%
 Macmillan Computer Publishing ½% for orders
 Simon & Schuster – 1% for orders (store must
meet minimum order requirements)
Bookstore Pricing
 Bookstore Pricing
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One time $75 fee to join
Free to use after joining – publishers pay all
charges
Pubnet Access
 Two ways Bookstores access Pubnet
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RATEX System – POS System
Pubnet.org - Web site
 RATEX System
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No manual purchase order re-entry
Access through FTP (File Transfer Protocol)
Textbook Bundle Finder
Pubnet Access
Support
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Comprehensive Client Services
 One-call support - 1.800.PUBNET.1
 Available through phone, fax, Web site &
e-mail from 9 am to 7 pm Eastern time
Headline Changes
 Bowker acquires Pubnet- July 2002
 Ongoing participation from NACS, ABA
and AAP
 Pubnet ops integrated into Bowker- Jan 2003
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Includes sales, marketing & customer service
 Bowker acquires PubEasy- February 2003
 >$1 million investment in s/w development
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2003/2004
 Currently rolling out enhancements
Pubnet Road Show
August-December 2002
Meetings with bookstores, publishers,
distributors, POS providers across the U.S.
 Understand Pubnet strengths and challenges
 Recognize market needs
 Create Pubnet development plan
New Features
 Document Cycle Tracking System (DCTS)
 Textbook Bundle Finder
 Rapid Response
 General Merchandise – Launch Q4
New Features
Document Cycle Tracking System (DCTS)
 Order visibility
 Shipment management
 Compliance checking/certification
DCTS
DCTS
Textbook Bundlefinder
 Textbook Bundlefinder
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Thomson
McGraw
VHPS
Houghton Mifflin
Textbook Bundle Finder
Textbook Bundle Finder
Textbook Bundle Finder
Textbook Bundle Finder
Rapid Response
 Publisher Rapid Response
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Houghton Mifflin
Harper Collins,
NACSCORP
Random House
McGraw Hill
General Merchandise
General merchandise module 4th Q ‘03
 Pilot project underway
 RATEX & other POS providers, 10 vendors
 RATEX intends to enable all EDI capabilities it has
piloted as direct FTP thorough Pubnet in the near
future
 All RATEX users that have the Link Module on
maintenance will receive the upgrades
Database
through Pubnet.org
 Publisher fees eliminated
 Goal is to increase the number of
participating publishers
 More community value
 Textbook Bundlefinder integrated
The New Approach
Actively Involved in the Publishing Industry
 Engaged and involved
 Communication
 Problem solving
 Goal is to drive supply chain efficiencies across the
book industry
Communications
Part I
 Pubnet.org
 NACS hosted Pubnet listserv
 Pubnet newsletter (quarterly)
Communications
Part II
 RATEX system Pubnet user guides
 Pubnet User Group meeting
October 2-3, 2003 in Peabody, MA
Bookstore pricing $195/person
Discounted price $145 until August 15th
 RATEX User Group meeting – October 2ed
PubEasy Acquisition
Pubnet/PubEasy Strategic Complementarity
PubEasy
Pubnet
Business
Integration
Publisher fulfillmt
systems
Retail POS
systems
Core
Functionality
Price and
availability
Ordering
Core Markets
Trade
College
Community, Community, Community
Why are booksellers reacting so favorably?
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unprecedented inquiry & transactional access
speeds access to critical data
demystifies doing business on the Internet
reduces high cost infrastructure
brings buyers and sellers together
1 password, 1 system
Pubeasy Functionality
 Pricing and Availability Queries
 Order Status (all sources)
 Electronic Ordering
 Transact (batch ISBN processing)
 PubEasy Central (coming soon)
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Allows searching across publishers
Top-level links
Standard Functionality
Easy
Industrial Site
Customers can:
• Search
• Check Availability
• Place orders
• Track orders
• Download Results
Search & Check Availability
Search via
• title
• ISBN
• author
• publisher
• series
Results:
• In Print & In Stock
• Reprinting
• Not Yet Published
• Remaindered
• Out of Stock
Enriched Bibliographic
Information
Detailed information
• title
• carton size
• publication date
• related ISBN
• other editions
click on the Book…
Marketing Information
Link to any
marketing/
consumer website
Providing:
• Jacket Cover
• Reviews
• Sample Chapter
• Author Tour Dates
• TOC
Order Status Results
Real-time order status:
• ISBN
• PO Number
Results:
• Order in Progress
• Invoiced/Stock fulfilled
• Not yet published
• Back Order
• Reprinting
Carrier & Shipper links
Carrier Links
Seamless
Easy
Accurate
Transact
Integrate with Users’
ordering system
Eliminate re-keying
Downloadable
Publishers
 Publishers:
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Random House
HarperCollins
Time Warner
Holtzbrink
 Complete list at www.PubEasy.com
 Key focus on adding Textbook Publishers
Benefits
 For Bookstores
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Free to users
Fast and easy
Saves phone calls
User-friendly Interface
Great Functionality
 For Publishers
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Improved customer
service
Fewer phone calls
Exchange Service for
small publishers
Books In Print Database
 Bowker and RATEX BIP promotion
Books In Print Database
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What’s Included
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Integrated on your RATEX System
Extended Title Database – 4.2 million records
Weekly updates
Stores requesting daily updates – Extra $50/mo. Fee
Pricing
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Single User License - $1,995/yr.
Multi-User (up to 10) User License - $4,995/yr.
Over 10 Users Bowker will provide a custom quote
Summary
 Substantial new development underway to increase
Pubnet customer value
 Sign-up for Pubnet!
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Call us (800.Pubnet.1), e-mail us (info@pubnet.org)
 PubEasy- information and sign-up at
www.PubEasy.com
 Come to the RATEX & Pubnet User Group meeting
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October 2nd and 3rd in Boston
Questions????
 Substantial new development underway to increase
Pubnet customer value
 Sign-up for Pubnet!
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Call us (800.Pubnet.1), e-mail us (info@pubnet.org)
 PubEasy- information and sign-up at
www.PubEasy.com
 Come to the RATEX & Pubnet User Group meeting
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October 2nd and 3rd in Boston