Publishers
Introduction
Nielsen BookData offers a unique range of services for publishers of all sizes, from international publishers to independent publishers and self-published authors. Our services support and measure the complex journey of a book, from publication to the hands of the reader.
ISBNs and Barcodes
The International Standard Book Number (ISBN) is a unique product identifier for books and related material.
While it is not a legal requirement to allocate ISBNs to your books, ISBNs are used by publishers, booksellers and libraries for ordering, listing and stock control purposes. The systems they use all rely on the ISBN to identify books ensuring they select and stock the correct title and edition, from the right publisher.
The ISBN Agency for UK & Ireland is here to help and support you in the process of purchasing and allocating your ISBNs to your books. The quickest and simplest way to buy your ISBNs is via our ISBN store.
Alternatively, you can email: isbn.agency@nielseniq.com
Generate a Barcode
Our Barcode service can generate a barcode from your book’s 13-digit ISBN, guaranteeing that it is unique. You can easily purchase barcodes via our online Store.
Adding your title information to our database
Listing your book on the Nielsen BookData database, along with its bibliographic information, will ensure that booksellers and librarians have access to your print and e-books.
Our FREE basic listing service allows you to list the bibliographic data required to meet the minimum Book Industry Communication (BIC) Basic Standard. Visit the BIC website for more information on the BIC Basic Standard.
You can supply your book information to us in the following ways:
- Our Title Editor online service
- ONIX
- Structured electronic file—this is recommended for larger publishers who have a catalogue of over 200 titles
We recommend independent publishers and self-published authors use our Title Editor service and if you have purchased your ISBNs via the Nielsen ISBN Store, you will have already been asked to register. Title Editor enables you to view and edit your book information, upload new titles and add cover images. The site is free to use and is the quickest way of supplying your data to our database.
If you get stuck or would like more information, simply contact our Publisher Help Desk: pubhelp.book@nielseniq.com
Enhanced service
The more information available about your book, the more likely it is to be discovered by readers. Our BookData Enhanced Service allows you to add, where appropriate, enriched metadata information including:
- Descriptions
- Table of contents
- Reviews
- Promotional information
- Author biographies
- Keywords
All your descriptive content can be formatted to enhance the end user experience. Click here to see an enriched record: Enhanced Services sample
Our Editorial Team will manage your information, ensuring accuracy, consistency, timeliness and completeness of your records, giving your titles the competitive edge when viewed by book-buyers around the world.
The Enhanced Service is an annual subscription based on the number of titles you publish, and a minimum charge applies. For more information and prices visit the ISBN Store.
Alternatively, you can email: sales.book@nielseniq.com
Book2Look
Interactive content is increasingly important in the promotion of your titles, especially online. Our Book2Look service enables you to create ‘look inside’ biblets with the following key features:
- Share across social media including Facebook, X, LinkedIn and Pinterest
- Add unlimited video and audio content using YouTube, Vimeo & SoundCloud
- Add in direct shop links to your preferred retailers or your own website
- Generate QR codes for use on promotional merchandise
- Customise and provide to press contacts and bloggers as well as participating booksellers and libraries
- Receive in-depth analytics and create reports on how your biblets are being viewed and shared
Book2Look is the chosen ‘look inside’ tool for Waterstones and Bookshop.org. We also add your biblets to your bibliographic records and share them via our services to our bookseller and library clients around the world.
For more information and to purchase your book biblets click here.
Measure your sales
Our Nielsen BookScan sales data provides you with an accurate picture of how your titles are performing and helps inform decisions such as what to publish next, what time of year to do it, at what price point and how many to print.
Nielsen BookScan collects point-of-sale data from physical bookshops and online retailers in 17 countries around the world. The volume and price paid is collected on every physical purchase at participating retailers. This data is amalgamated to measure the market in its entirety every week.
Publishers use Nielsen BookScan sales data to inform decisions throughout the life cycle of a book:
- Are your sales in line with your expectations?
- Have you printed enough or is demand higher than predicted?
- Is the price paid in line with what you expected and negotiated with sellers?
- Is your book available in the right numbers during peak selling periods?
- How are similar titles selling? Have you set your prices in line with other titles in that genre?
By having this data to hand, you are in a stronger position when negotiating terms and prices with other businesses in the supply chain. It also avoids any surprises—by staying informed, you can act quickly to maximise your sales.
We work with publishers of all sizes and can offer a range of tailored solutions from a single ISBN lookup, through to providing regular market reports.
For more information, email: infobookresearch@nielseniq.com
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