tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32743250.post6816751304389636653..comments2023-08-06T04:21:52.491-06:00Comments on Kash's Book Corner: To Go Where No Buyer Has Gone BeforeArsen Kashkashianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10185747887959535224noreply@blogger.comBlogger7125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32743250.post-11050624463819905502009-01-29T15:27:00.000-07:002009-01-29T15:27:00.000-07:00I cannot wait for this. The physical catalogs have...I cannot wait for this. The physical catalogs have their pluses, but eliminating paper, and streamlining the ordering process are even bigger pluses. More booksellers need to embrace technology and change so that the 80% of the ABA's membership (the small stores) survive, and thrive. Thanks for blogging about it and I look forward to using it myself sometime!<BR/><BR/>-SyllaAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32743250.post-2260840946225789492009-01-13T12:24:00.000-07:002009-01-13T12:24:00.000-07:00Arsen, this is so exciting! I remember that meeti...Arsen, this is so exciting! I remember that meeting with Harper last BEA, and you're the perfect person to test-drive this new way of doing things. Kudos to you, John Rubin, Harper and Penguin for taking the plunge. Here's hoping we'll get a chance to try this out here in New York sometime soon.Book Nerdhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02896226559142059293noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32743250.post-80789942289180382532009-01-13T06:49:00.000-07:002009-01-13T06:49:00.000-07:00As a result of a conversation with the estimable J...As a result of a conversation with the estimable John Zeck a day or two after his virgin Edelweiss experience, an idea for the use of the "Community" feature emerged. If booksellers using the product were to enter accounts of their success with a title they suspect would be useful to others, many titles otherwise passed or relegated to the "buy a single copy, put it on the shelf and return it in six months" syndrome might have a chance to sell. Every rep and buyer has heard or said, "this was a tremendous success in the (Upper Midwest/New England/West Coast - whatever) region, but just didn't sell anywhere else." The reasons often can be that one bookseller came up with an idea that worked - and would be willing to share that with the rest of the country. Reps might even go so far as to solicit such testimonials when they knew they would have problems selling in a subsequent title from the same author or a paperback edition of a hardcover. How this would work in reality remains to be seen, but it's the kind of idea that's generated by discussion.<BR/><BR/>To that end, I hope that all users of Edelweiss will not be shy in voicing their opinions, ideas, misgivings or brainstorms about how this new tool could be used to greatest effect.<BR/><BR/>Finally, I must commend John Rubin and his crew who have been remarkably open, efficient and helpful in fixing problems, considering new ideas and accepting advice. I have watched as a problem was fixed between one markup entry and the next. I don't think I've ever before been witness to that kind of change, literally in front of my eyes. Many, many thanks to you all.Eric B.https://www.blogger.com/profile/08524666787771356524noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32743250.post-69948823613685968842009-01-12T16:54:00.000-07:002009-01-12T16:54:00.000-07:00p.s. - I don't mean to gloss over your criticisms ...p.s. - I don't mean to gloss over your criticisms of your beta experience with Edelweiss. It does sound like there needs to be some overhauling when ATTL takes it back to the drawing board. There are some publisher's (print)catalogs that are a thing of beauty in themselves. Maybe it's way down on the list of things it'd be nice to have applications like Edelweiss do, but being able to let the publishers' catalog designers get involved somehow so the mood and other intangibles that aren't evoked via the copy could get carried onto screen...<BR/>Oh, i've got a million ideas, i do!Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08256321127803175934noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32743250.post-37928648780651296532009-01-12T15:49:00.000-07:002009-01-12T15:49:00.000-07:00Thanks so much for blogging about the Edelweiss ex...Thanks so much for blogging about the Edelweiss experience, Arsen. It's so intriguing. I really hope publishers and buyers will get on board with this. Think of all you could do with adding information that there's just not a way for a rep to usually remember and/or physically carry around. And as far as future applications, there are so many advantages, and as a marketing person, I can see incredible potential for enhancing such a system to facilitate conversations between bookstores and publishers' marketing depts. before the title has even been ordered. The mind races. Really exciting stuff...Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08256321127803175934noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32743250.post-46481339061557269662009-01-12T13:37:00.000-07:002009-01-12T13:37:00.000-07:00I'm a digital person and this program seems fabulo...I'm a digital person and this program seems fabulous to me. When doing the marketing meeting with Tom and Arsen, I only saw a few of Edelweiss' capabilities but I was very impressed. Tagging is a marketing person's dream, let me tell you. It was so easy to quickly get a glimpse of all the titles that Arsen and Tom tagged as co-op and display possibilities. No more flipping through catalogs, and having Arsen say, "What page # was XYZ on? Was it in the front or the middle of the catalog?" Because we do all of our co-op on an Excel spreadsheet, I could easily cut and paste the ISBN # and book info from Edelweiss onto my spreadsheet. No more squinting at a catalog and hand typing in the 13 digit number. And in the past, I would often mistype the ISBN so months later when my assistant was trying to plan out displays, she would have to do some detective work to figure out which book I actually meant to display. Arsen mentioned that at this point, Edelweiss didn't save him much time. Already, it has saved me about half an hour's worth of time. Multiple this by every marketing meeting that Arsen and I have with a rep and it would quickly add up to hours. Plus, I've only seen a glimpse of the program. Who knows what other useful marketing features I might find?Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08423177965966814938noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32743250.post-14256068749005691292009-01-12T10:08:00.000-07:002009-01-12T10:08:00.000-07:00Given that this was the first sales call with Edel...Given that this was the first sales call with Edelwiess, which is an extremely powerful and multi-faceted program, I didn't think that it could have gone any better. <BR/><BR/>Briefly on the Mea Culpa front, it should be noted that on the heels of the holiday (I was off for two weeks), and you were busy doing Christmas, post-holiday sale, and inventory, so that I didn't request a data feed for those catalogues until Monday, coupled with DSL Outage ay my house, I didn't have time to do anything about the adequacy of the data feed (i.e. comp titles) from Harper, prior to the sales call, leading to the "comps" issue. Honestly, I don't know when we'll fix that, because it's more complicated than you think.<BR/><BR/>What I'm most impressed with (or as you say feeling empowered by):<BR/><BR/>1) as a communications vehicle, EW is an opportunity for me to put a great deal more information to my buyer in a more accessible way, working within the program, than I can verbally. It greatly enhances our ability to make a more educated buy based on the variety of conditions that it addresses.<BR/><BR/>2)The internal communication the "tags" feature that you speak of in the context of thrilling Mandy King in marketing: has the far reaching potential to communicate with all kinds of individuals and groups within the store: book clubs, floor generals, outside sales, you name it. <BR/><BR/>For example, I could in the notes that I communicate to Arsen, put "book clubs", and Arsen would see the note and agree to put a quick note in himself. When the their Book Club Co-ordinator queried the system for those tags she would be able to draw on a list that had a yes vote from the rep and the buyer. <BR/>That's one example, possibilities are limitless. What I'd hope is that it would enhance knowledgibility and efficiency of handsellers on the floor as well many other designees within the store.<BR/><BR/>3) Playing the stores' hand for a sec. The idea that you can move the buy from Edelwiess to your own system is going to immdeiately save hours of order entry time!<BR/><BR/>I could do on and on, but the possibilities and implications are more far reaching I'm sure than we have currently identified. All I can say is so far so good, something I wasn't necessarily as quick to trumpet when this whole e-catalogue business was first introduced. As to the e-catalogue replacing the rep and the rep-buyer relationship that we hold so sacred, it doesn't do that, it enhances it.<BR/><BR/>It is going to take some effort and patience for folks to learn this software, but the rewards really do seem to be there. My biggest question for the moment, is when the inevitable "glitch" that occurs, happens, where do rep and buyer go? <BR/><BR/>For the moment though, I am "on a cloud" that I hope stays seeded through the challenging start-up time that lies ahead.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com