Answers to Frequently Asked Questions About BookSense.com Q: Who is BookSense.com for? A: BookSense.com is for any ABA storefront bookshop member participating in the Book Sense Marketing campaign, who wants to have a presence on the Internet and become part of the BookSense.com national network of independent bookshops. Q: Where can I see example websites? A: Any of the following links will allow you to view a participating store's website: http://www.tatteredcover.com http://www.regbook.com http://www.storybookcove.com http://www.antigonebooks.com Q: Does participation in the Book Sense marketing program automatically make me a BookSense.com store? A: No. Only Book Sense stores are eligible for participation in BookSense.com-but there is no obligation for Book Sense participants to sign up for BookSense.com. You must register for each program separately. Q: What will my domain name be? A: It can be yourbookstore.com, if you decide to register and purchase your own domain name (there is a fee associated with this process.) If you want yourbookstore.booksense.com, that works, too-and there's no fee. In either case, BookSense.com will help you secure your domain name. Q: Do we have to use a BookSense.com template to create our website? A: Not if you don't want to. If you already have a site and would like to keep that look-and-feel, you will be able to seamlessly integrate your site with the BookSense.com back end (or, become what we call a "Self-Authored Site"). You will need to do some additional development to effect this integration. Q: How many templates are there? A: At present there are seven templates. Four are geared toward specialties: mystery, children's, science fiction, and travel. Each of these has a choice of two backgrounds. The remaining three templates are more generic, and each is available in five color palettes. Any store, whether a general store or specialty store, may use any template. Also, two more templates will be arriving soon. Q: If I use a template, how will I know my site won't look a lot like another store's? A: Your site will have its own unique look, because you will choose its layout and colors, feature your unique logo, create the content, and decide which titles you want to feature. The uniqueness is evident in the store links above. Q: What will participation in BookSense.com cost? A: Once you've signed a contract, there will be a one-time, $350 setup fee. At that point we will also begin charging a 4.5 percent commission on wholesaler-fulfilled orders only. The current monthly fee is $225 per month. Q: Is there a way to help lower my monthly payments? A: BookSense.com works closely with several publishers to offer Co-op reimbursement for eligible stores. By posting certain titles on your website, ordering minimum quantities (usually 5), and filling out an online affidavit, stores can claim Newsletter Co-op funds (if you are currently claiming all of your Newsletter co-op, this program will not enable you to claim additional funds). For filing the claim on your behalf, BookSense.com takes 15% of these funds. Keep in mind that, due to publishers' stipulations, only stores that have been live on the web for at least three months are eligible. For more information on this feature, please contact Patti Neske at [email protected]. Q: What can I expect the gross profit on each sale to be? A: Let's consider the example of a $10 trade book that is wholesaler-fulfilled, and carries a 40% discount from Ingram Book Co. From the sale of that book, $5.88 is paid to Ingram (60% of the cost of the book less the early payment discount - 2% on the net); 4.5% is paid to BookSense.com; approximately 3% goes to the credit card processing company (2% for the transaction plus another 1% for online-specific transaction-processing fees from the bank). That leaves almost 34% gross profit for the bookstore. To get a clear understanding of the impact BookSense.com can have on your business, you also need to consider marketing costs, staffing costs, and monthly fees payable to BookSense.com. However, we would urge you to consider that some percentage of costs associated with BookSense.com are in fact, marketing costs-and to consider the lost-opportunity cost of NOT participating. Q: What content does BookSense.com provide? Am I required to use it? A: You are only required to have one title from the Book Sense Picks list, along with the Book Sense Bestseller list. Whether or not you include the rest of the content, and where on your site you include it, is up to you. That content consists of: Themes (a selected topic and a list of related books); News (a story on a current event, plus a list of related books); Award Winners (the Book Sense Book of the Year, the Pulitzer, and everything in between); Author Birthdays; and Quote of the Day. Keep in mind, however, that the more titles you have featured on your site, the more potential sales there are to make. Q: Why should I use the BookSense.com content? A: A website is another window for your bookshop and, just as you would not let your window displays languish, your website needs frequent updates. Local news, events, and staff picks are important. The BookSense.com content (themes, news, award winners, etc.) is especially written with your bookshop in mind. At any one time there are over 25 topical and general themes available for you to choose from. Knowing that your site has fresh content will ensure it is a destination, not just a storefront. Q: Can I discount or mark up titles at launch? A: Each individual store has the ability to discount or markup titles across a broad category of titles (specifically, the Ingram discount codes). Stores are also able to price individual titles by ISBN, and by binding type. Q: How will fulfillment be handled? A: You will receive orders through your BookSense.com Local Administration website, which you should check at least once a day. By default, all orders will be filled by wholesalers-except in certain cases, such as when the wholesalers are out of stock for that particular title, or when a customer has requested to pick up books in-store. Keep in mind that, due to the many choices that customers have at checkout, stores may find that only about 20% of orders are filled automatically through the wholesaler. The rest of the orders are handled directly by the individual stores. Q: How does payment work? A: When a purchase is made that is filled by the wholesaler, all monies go into a holding account. Twice monthly, each bookstore, BookSense.com, the wholesaler, and the credit card processing company are paid from this account, via wire transfer to their respective banks. Additionally, bookstores will receive a report showing how much money is payable to their state tax authority. Q: How will customer service work? A: Your store's contact information will be posted on your home page and at various points throughout your site, so you can expect online shoppers to contact you directly with questions. However, we also have a supporting customer service center to help you with technical needs, as well as to help you answer any questions your customers might ask. This customer service center is staffed from 8 AM to 6 PM Eastern time Monday through Friday, and available via email on the weekends. Q: How will my payments to BookSense.com work? A: The 4.5% of sales made via BookSense.com is deducted directly from each wholesaler-fulfilled sale. The $225 per month is charged to each bookstore's bank account, via ACH wire transfer. Q: What is the BookSense.com privacy policy? A: It is a requirement that the following text appear on each BookSense.com site, whether a templated site or a Self-Authored Site: Privacy Statement We are a member of the BookSense.com family of websites. The BookSense.com family of sites is deeply committed to protecting your privacy and your First Amendment rights, and this commitment extends to the personal information you provide when you use one of our sites. The personal information you submit to any BookSense.com site will not be shared, sold, or disclosed to third parties in any form, for any purposes, at any time unless we first have your consent. This information includes, but is not limited to, your email address. All of our mailings conform to an opt-in policy, which means you have to elect to receive information from us. You will never receive unsolicited e-mail from any BookSense.com site. Q: How secure are BookSense.com sites? A: The following is the BookSense.com security statement: Security Statement To protect the security of the information you give us when you order online, the BookSense.com family of sites uses SSL (Secure Sockets Layer) technology. SSL encrypts your information so that no one other than the BookSense.com sites will be able to decode it. SSL establishes a secure connection between your computer and our computers, and that connection remains secure until you complete or cancel an order. How will you know if your connection is secure? Simply check the lower left corner of your browser window after you access the server. If you see a closed lock or an unbroken key (depending on what browser you are using), SSL is working. Q: How does the national BookSense.com affiliate program affect me? A: A BookSense.com Affiliate makes it possible for users of the Affiliate's website to be directed to your BookSense.com website. When a user who has been referred to your website makes a purchase, you must pay the Affiliate a percentage of the sale (calculated from the selling price of the book before tax and shipping, and not exceeding 10%). However, BookSense.com will actually pay each Affiliate Fee, and then bill your store's accumulated fees monthly. Q: When can I sign up to participate in BookSense.com? When can I start setting up my online store? A: If your store is currently participating in the Book Sense Marketing Program, you can sign up right now! Just follow these links to the BookSense.com Letter of Agreement and the ACH Authorization form, respectively: Letter of Agreement: http://www.bookweb.org/graphics/pdfs/dotcomletter.pdf ACH Form: http://www.bookweb.org/graphics/BookSense/ACH1.pdf You'll want to print them, read them carefully, fill them out, and mail them to: ABA/Book Sense 200 White Plains Rd. Tarrytown, NY 10591 Attn: Scott Nafz As soon as we receive them, we'll send you an email with all of the log-in information you'll need to get started building your site. If you have any further questions that are not covered in this document, please feel free to contact me for more information. I can be reached at 800-637-0037, Ext. 6654, or via email at [email protected]. Best Regards, Scott Nafz Customer Service Coordinator BookSense.com Topics: Book Sense, Internet Commerce,