Contact: Mindy Im at 646-336-7141 or mindy@bisg.org
New York, NY (June 9, 2011) — The Book Industry Study Group (BISG) announced today the publication of a new standardized set of industry-developed sales and tax reporting templates. Developed in close collaboration with EDItEUR in the UK, the BISG templates address the critical need for consistent, industry-wide sales and tax reporting and are available in both Excel and XML formats. Simultaneously, EDItEUR is making available an updated version of its EDItX Sales and Tax Report XML format, which are fully compatible with the BISG templates.
Designed to be used between retailers, distributors, data aggregators and agents to report sales and tax information to a publisher or other content owner, the new templates feature:
- Accommodation for both the traditional wholesale model as well as the newer agency model, and
- Suitability for reporting on both digital and print products.
“During these times of change in publishing, the sales and tax reporting best practices created collaboratively by the BISG and industry stakeholders give publishers, wholesalers and retailers options to increase efficiencies and streamline communication in the supply chain,” said George Tattersfield, Vice President, Merchandising, Ingram Content Group, Inc. “As the industry continues to transform, standardization will be an important factor for the future success of publishing. We thank the BISG for taking the lead in creating the tools our industry needs for future success.”
The templates were developed over a 12 month period within BISG’s Sales and Tax Reporting Working Group, chaired by Francis Cave of EDItEUR. The Working Group was composed of representatives from over 25 major publishers, distributors and data aggregators resulting in templates that reflect diverse points of view from an international perspective.
Prior to publication, the templates went through a three month pilot process. Six companies, Baker & Taylor, Ingram Content Group, OverDrive, RoyaltyShare, Simon & Schuster and Taylor & Francis (UK), tested the templates by simulating data interfacing and the send and receive reporting processes in the XML format. The valuable, real-world feedback from this pilot informed and improved the final templates.
Commenting on the release of the templates, Angela Bole, BISG Deputy Executive Director, noted, “BISG was pleased to be able to respond to the industry need to adapt to the rapid changes occurring in the wake of the agency model and the growing digital market. We’d very much like to thank all of the participants who worked with us on this solution; it was a truly collaborative effort.”
The templates are now available on the BISG website at www.bisg.org/what-we-do-17-23-editx-xml-document-formats.php. For the EDItX format, visit www.editeur.org/53/Sales-and-Inventory-Reporting.
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About the Book Industry Study Group, Inc.
The Book Industry Study Group, Inc. (BISG) is the U.S. book industry’s leading trade association for policy, standards and research. The mission of BISG is to create a more informed, empowered and efficient book industry supply chain for both physical and digital products. Membership consists of publishers, manufacturers, suppliers, wholesalers, retailers, librarians and others engaged in the business of print and electronic media. For over 30 years, BISG has provided a forum for all industry professionals to come together and efficiently address issues and concerns to advance the book community. Learn more about BISG at www.bisg.org.
About EDItEUR
EDItEUR is the global trade standards organization for the book and journal supply chain. Based in London, EDItEUR has members in 18 countries around the world and is best known for the ONIX family of standards; it also provides management for the International ISBN Agency. For more information about EDItEUR, visit www.editeur.org or e-mail info@editeur.org.
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