Frequently Asked Questions

Owned by Zalina Alvi (Unlicensed)
Last updated: Jul 10, 2023 by Noah Genner (Unlicensed)
4 min read

Working with reports  |  Access & availability of data  |  How time works in SalesData  |  About your titles/ISBNs

Working with reports

Q. I'm seeing some minor discrepancies between the reports I generated in the old system versus the new one. Why is that?

A. The main reason is related to our increased capacity to process historical data, resulting from the new system's redesigned processing engine, a larger segment of stores being added to chain markets that previously did not have complete profiles, and the addition of 979 EANs (as of the week ending Oct. 18, 2015). 

Q. Can I save reports in the system?

A. Yes! You can save the search criteria for any report and schedule it to be sent to you and others in your account at regular intervals. While you can't save a preserved snapshot of a particular week's data in the system, you can export reports that you run and save them manually to your device. Learn more about how to download, email, save, and distribute reports here.

Q. When are scheduled reports emailed? 

  • Bestseller and Single ISBN reports are emailed every week as soon as the market selected in the report is processed.
  • Market Share, Market Comparison, and Multiple ISBN reports are emailed every week as soon as the All Market is processed.

 Q. Can I run a report for a particular month? What about a custom time period between two specific dates?

A. Not quite. Everything in the system is organized by weeks that end on Sunday. This means you can run a report for any week or a period of time between two weeks, but you can't choose a month or two random dates. You can see more about how time works in SalesData below.

Access & availability of data

Q. Do you have data on every single print book purchase in Canada since the beginning of time?

A. No. SalesData is not a complete history of all sales of all books across Canada for all time. SalesData launched in October 2005 with a select retail panel that has grown and changed over time, much like the book marketplace as a whole. We currently track approximately 85% of print book sales in Canada.

Q. How do retailers submit data?

You can learn more about what's involved in being a contributing retailer here.

Q. What data do I have access to view?

A. Different account types have different views of the data. If you are a retailer, you will be able to see sales in your own market and aggregated sales in any peer groups you have access to and the All Market. If you are a publisher, distributor, sales agent, or librarian, you can access aggregated sales in the All Market and any retailers you have a peer relationship with.

Q. When does new data become available in the system?

Processing of new data is done on a weekly basis. You will be able to see on the SalesData homepage when the data for the All Market is live. Also, anyone with peer-to-peer access can search their peer accounts as soon as they are processed. That means if Indigo comes in and is processed on Tuesday, peer users can view reports with new data for the Indigo market before the All Market goes live.

Q. Do you have data on ebook sales? When are you going to have data on ebook sales? Why aren't you getting data on ebook sales now?

A. The tracking of ebook sales is part of our long-term plan for SalesData but, since it is contingent on participation from major ebook retailers, it is not currently possible. 

How time works in SalesData

Q. How do you calculate when the calendar year ends?

A. SalesData uses the ISO standard to number weeks, which includes these guidelines:

  • Week 1 is always the week containing the year's first Thursday.
  • If Jan. 1 falls on a Friday, Saturday, or Sunday, then it is considered to be a part of week 53 of the previous year.
  • Dec. 28 is always in the last week of the year.
  • A year can be either 52 or 53 weeks long.

Q. How do you calculate quarters?

A. Quarters are calculated based on the calendar year as follows:

  • Q1 = January to March

  • Q2 = April to June

  • Q3 = July to September

  • Q4 = October to December

Q. How do you calculate months?

A. We also use the ISO standard to determine what weeks get included in a month timeframe:

  • A week is included in a month if it has four or more days in that month.
  • It is possible for a month to have more than four weeks, e.g., April 2015 has five weeks.
  • A week can only be assigned to a single month.

So, for example, if you're searching for months as a timeframe in a Market Share or Multi-ISBN report and you choose May as a year-over-year comparison month, each May will have a different number of weeks; May 2018 will have five weeks and May 2017 will have four weeks.

Q: How do you compare weeks, 


About your titles/ISBNs

Q. I have two or more editions of a title that I would like to merge to see combined sales. Is that possible?

A. No. SalesData tracks each ISBN as a unique entity. You are welcome to export sales data for multiple ISBNs and merge them manually outside of the system.

Q. The bibliographic data for my title isn't correct. What should I do?

A. There is a "Report bibliographic errors" button on every Single ISBN Report. You can submit a correction here and we will follow up with the publisher. Learn more about reporting bibliographic errors here.

Q. I'm an author. How can I view sales for my title?

A. We do not provide access to SalesData for authors. You can contact your publisher or agent and they can request access, if they do not already have an account.


Don't see the answer to your question here? Email salesdata@booknetcanada.ca and we'll be in touch soon.