All about ONIX for e-books and its future

What is ONIX for e-books?

ONIX for e-books is an acronym for ONline Information EXchange.

ONIX for e-books refers to a standard format that publishers can use to distribute electronic information about their books to wholesale, retail booksellers, other publishers. Also, ONIX enables book information to be communicated between different organizations even if they have different technical infrastructures and business needs.

Why was ONIX for e-books created?

ONIX for e-books was developed as a solution to two modern problems:

The need for richer book data online

The widely varying format requirements for receiving this data used by the major book wholesalers and retailers

What is the goal of ONIX for Books?

The goal of ONIX for e-books is to standardize the transmission of product information so that wholesalers, retailers, and others in the supply chain will be able to accept information electronically transferred in ONIX format.

What can ONIX for e-books tell us?

ONIX for e-books can describe many things about a book, including:

• Title
• Author
• ISBN
• Price
• Availability
• Reviews, and Extracts
•  BISAC Subject Codes
•  Territorial rights
•  Links to website and book cover images

Which companies use ONIX for e-books in the US?

There are a number of organizations and individual operations that use ONIX for e-books in the US. The following is a list of some, but not all:

• Amazon.com
• American Booksellers Association (ABA)
• Association of American Publishers (AAP)
• Association of American University Presses (AAUP)
• American Wholesale Booksellers Association
• Baker & Taylor
• Barnes & Noble
• Bowker
• Evangelical Christian Publishers Association (ECPA)
• Google
• Hachette Book Group
• Harcourt Trade Publishing
• HarperCollins Publishers
• Ingram Book Company
• Library of Congress
• McGraw-Hill Companies
• MUZE, Inc.
• Nielsen BookScan
• Penguin Group (USA)
• Rowman & Littlefield Publishing Group
• Simon and Schuster

Where can I go for further information?

A group called the ONIX for e-books implementation forum has been created to allow those implementing ONIX to ask questions of other users and the ONIX Technical Consultants. The forum is open to all current and prospective users of the standards.

What are further resources for ONIX implementers?

• ONIX Implementer’s Listserv A group was created to allow those implementing ONIX for e-books to ask questions of other users and ONIX Technical Consultants. The forum is open to all current and prospective users of the standards
• Downloads and Lists Latest general release: ONIX for Books, Release 3.0
• Introduction to ONIX for Books, Release 3.0  A broad overview of the main features of the latest version of ONIX
• Best Practices for Product Metadata (PDF) Detailed instructions for improving the accuracy of data throughout the supply chain while speeding the processing of that data among trading partners

Who are the ONIX administrators?

The organizations responsible for the development, promotion, and implementation of ONIX within the international book industry are:

• Europe: EDItEUR is an international organization with European origins that coordinates the development, promotion, and implementation of EDI (Electronic Data Interchange) in the books and serials sectors. It helps maintain ONIX for the European and international communities.
• United Kingdom: Book Industry Communication (BIC) is based in the U.K. and was organized and is sponsored by The Publishers Association, The Booksellers Association, The Library Association, and The British Library to develop and promote standards for electronic commerce and communication in the book and serials industry. It helps maintain ONIX for the European and international communities.
• United States: Our organization maintains ONIX for the U.S. publishing industry. As a membership-supported, not-for-profit research organization comprised of several sectors from the publishing community, its goal is to provide accurate and current research information about the industry for its members and others.