Welcome to the August 2003 Pubnet newsletter! We have many new enhancements just released and more in the next few months as well as our User Group Meeting where you can learn about these enhancements in person. Our goal is to increase supply chain efficiencies and Pubnet wants to do more to help you do your job more effectively.

Pubnet released version 1 of the Document Cycle tracking Service (DCTS) on July 15th. DCTS is a web-based order visibility and shipping management system. Users and suppliers can track their orders, invoices and shipping information through the Pubnet website.

A huge issue for college bookstores today is the confusion over textbook packages and their components. Pubnet has responded to bookstore needs by working with the major textbook publishers to create Textbook Bundle Finder. Textbook Bundle Finder, an ISBN-driven enhancement, identifies textbook bundles as well as individual bundle components for major textbook publishers. Textbook Bundle Finder was also released on Aug 31st and is available only through the Pubnet Ordering Wizard (POW).

To access Textbook Bundle Finder go to the Pubnet website. Click on the Pubnet Ordering Wizard (POW) icon and sign in using your POW password. If you do not have a Pubnet Ordering Wizard password, please contact Pubnet Tech Support at 1-800-PUBNET-1 or info@pubnet.org.

Click on the “Search For Books” icon. Proceed to order as you normally would. If any of the titles are part of a bundle, you will see those indicated in the search results screen. The search results screen will indicate the bundle ISBNs as well as the ISBNs of all other components of the bundle.

If you have any questions or are interested in testing any of these Pubnet service enhancements, please contact David Davis at 919-957-4847 or email david.davis@pubnet.org.

Pubnet will hold its 2003 User Group meeting at the Boston Marriott in Peabody, MA on Thursday and Friday, October 2 & 3, 2003. The meeting will kick off with a cocktail hour with hors d'oeuvres and dinner on Thursday evening, and the meeting will run all day on Friday. Conference highlights will include a detailed review of Pubnet's new features, bookstore and publisher panels, and an introduction to PubEasy services. We will also talk about plans to integrate the services and solicit your views. Click here for the complete agenda.

Several major POS vendors will be holding user group meetings on the Thursday, October 2nd including Booklog, MBS, Nebraska Book, Sequoia, POS Support and RATEX Business Solutions, providing additional good reasons for booksellers to participate.

Our keynote speaker will be Mr. Jef Fite, Senior VP-CIO of Family Christian Stores (FCS). Mr. Fite is responsible for all of the technology management, systems development and support for all of the company’s operations. Mr. Fite also has leadership responsibility for the FCS Internet (www.FamilyChristian.com) and catalog fulfillment channels. Family Christian Stores is America’s leading specialty retailer dedicated solely to the Christian lifestyle market with over 325 locations and over 5,000 employees in 39 states.

Mr. Fite’s topic will be the “Dollars and Sense of EDI.” His discussion will focus on delivering tangible economic value to a retail business through the use of EDI. He will provide insights based on specific EDI activities at FCS, as well as operational and financial benefits he has seen other retailers achieve.

The cost for the conference (including the opening cocktails and dinner and Friday lunch) is $295 per person, and hotel rooms are $142 including taxes.

Booksellers who register by August 15th will receive a special reduced price of $149. Booksellers who register after August 15th will still receive a reduced price of $195.

This is a great opportunity to interact with industry professionals and colleagues and take advantage of this forum to learn and discuss the latest in supply chain efficiency issues -- this should be a "must attend" meeting on your calendar! Register Now for User Group Meeting!

As a reminder, please be sure to contact the hotel directly to reserve a room for the evening of October 2nd. The cost of a hotel room is not included in the registration price.

HOTEL INFORMATION
Boston Peabody Marriott
8A Centennial Drive
Peabody, MA 01960
Phone: 1 978-977-9700
Fax: 1 978-977-0297
Boston Peabody Marriott Website

NACSCORP joined the growing list of suppliers in the Pubnet Rapid Response program on May 7th. NACSCORP offers over 160,000 text and trade book titles from 300+ publishers as well as a full range of hardware, peripherals, software, supplies, and licenses from 1,700 top technology vendors. In addition, their book and technology product programs and services provide unparalleled support to increase their customers' sales, profitability, and competitiveness.

Rapid Response enables suppliers to receive bookseller-orders and return order acknowledgements (POAs) via the Internet within minutes. Once Pubnet suppliers migrate to the Rapid Response program, Pubnet's FTP technology makes it faster and more accessible for customers to receive their acknowledgements. Rapid Response is available to all booksellers using Pubnet.

"We are pleased to be involved in this initiative with Pubnet," said Len Jardine, NACSCORP President and Chief Operating Officer. "We feel this is another great way to help our customer be more successful."

If you are interested in joining the Rapid Response, please contact David Davis at 919-957-4847 or email david.davis@pubnet.org.

If you order from Random House, Holtzbrinck Publishers, AOL Time Warner or Harper Collins you can check real-time price and availability information via PubEasy. PubEasy is free to users. Register today!

We had 83 new bookstores & distributors and 3 new publishers join Pubnet in the last quarter. Welcome aboard!

Our New Bookstores & Distributors: