Ordering

This page includes resources that can help you create, manage, and submit your orders on CataList. If you have any further questions about placing orders, let us know at catalist@booknetcanada.ca.

New to ordering books for your business? Take a look at our information for retailers new to bookselling.

About ordering on CataList

CataList allows you to add and edit order quantities as you browse through catalogues or search for titles. You can manage multiple orders, tag a purchase order or promotion code onto an order, and export orders to Excel, CSV, MARC, or PDF files. Your sales rep may also create orders on your behalf.

CataList doesn’t currently have built-in EDI, but you can submit finalized orders to your rep within the CataList system for their viewing, or export your orders directly into your WordStock database. Learn more about CataList’s ordering features in the following sections.

Getting started

Get started by creating an order and adding items to it. The titles in your order must all be supplied by the same distributor—if you're placing orders with multiple distributors, create an order for each one.

Get started:

Manage your orders

You can edit your order details, change your active order, and view old orders that you have completed. Retailers, libraries, and wholesalers can also see the orders that their colleagues or sales rep have created on CataList.

Manage your orders:

Export, close, or submit an order

When your order is complete, the next step is to send it to your sales rep or the Canadian distributor of those items. You will need an account with the distributor if your sales rep is not sending the order to the distributor on your behalf.

On CataList, there are two workflows you can follow. In the first workflow, you would export the order and close it when you choose to. It involves more manual work to close the order and share it externally yourself, but it gives you more control over managing the status of your order.

The second workflow, which is to submit the order, requires your sales rep to be on CataList. When you submit an order to your sales rep, they receive an auto-generated email that includes your order already attached as an Excel file (if you need to make manual changes to the export before sending it to your rep, consider using the first workflow). Your rep can view your order directly on CataList, and your order will automatically close after you’ve submitted it, saving you the step of closing it yourself.

Finalize your order:

CataList supports direct export to WordStock for users of that POS system. For other POS systems, you can use Excel or CSV exports to either import orders to your system and send via EDI, or send directly to your sales reps or distributor contacts for fulfilment using your usual methods.

If you'd like us to support your POS system, please have your POS vendor get in touch with us at catalist@booknetcanada.ca.