This is by no means exhaustive, but documents the guidelines that should be followed by subscribers and participants regarding the public release of data collected through the SalesData & LibraryData service(s). If you have a question about what can and cannot be made public please get in touch with BookNet Canada at media@booknetcanda.ca before releasing any data.

Service Subscribers and Participants

Publishers may:

Disclose statistics on their own titles, own market share, own company performance, etc. using BNC SalesData, LibraryData and/or SalesData and/or LibraryData augmented with their own internal numbers if they disclose that their numbers represent “BNC SalesData and/or BNC LibraryData plus…”

Retailers may:

Disclose statistics on their own sales only.
Produce bestseller lists (no unit/dollar sales) on any aggregated data for internal distribution.
Produce ranked circulation lists (no loans or holds data) for internal distribution only.

Libraries may:

Disclose statistics on their own circulation only.
Produce ranked circulation lists (no loans or holds data) on any aggregated data for internal distribution.
Produce bestseller lists (no unit/dollar sales) for internal distribution only.

Wholesalers may:

Disclose statistics on their own sales only.
Produce ranked bestseller lists and/or circulation lists (no unit/dollar sales and/or loans/holds) for their clients only (subject to the caveats re: ‘Panel size/coverage statements’ below).

Agents may:

Disclose to their client authors the sale and/or circulation of that author’s titles only (subject to the caveats re: ‘Panel size/coverage statements’ below).

Media may:

Publish bestseller and/or library circulation lists received directly from BNC SalesData & LibraryData only after signing an agreement with BookNet. These lists will contain individual item ranks, but will not contain unit/dollar sales/loans. Lists can be displayed only where agreed to and must include BNC SalesData & LibraryData attribution as provided by BookNet.

BookNet Canada will use data provided to the SalesData and LibraryData services in the following manner:

BookNet will:

Release ranked bestseller and/or library circulation lists, which may be of any length, any time period, and highly segmented.
Release relative ranking of any individual title (e.g., title x is number one this week in Fiction).
Release aggregate analysis on the historical performance, market share, aggregate value, etc. of categories, binding types, genres, etc.
Comment on the percentage change in sales and/or library circulation of titles affected by media events, awards, media exposure, etc.
Release weekly updates of relative rankings of titles shortlisted for major awards or prizes (e.g., Giller, Canada Reads).
Distribute semi-annual releases of the period’s overall bestsellers and/or top library circulating titles in a number of categories (divided by either subject or binding or both).
Provide semi-annual performance analysis of the market as a whole.
Provide semi-annual category sales and/or library circulation, publisher and distributor market share, etc.
Comment on the market share or overall impact of key titles (e.g., Harry Potter, The Secret, Stephenie Meyer, etc.), but not unit sales, unit circulation, or value.
Provide general commentary on the performance of types or categories of titles (e.g., “a hardcover fiction bestseller in December could sell anywhere from w,000 to x,000 per week,” “a new June release could circulate anywhere from y,000 to z,000 in a summer,” “the bestselling poetry title is ranked #x00 this week,” etc.)

BookNet will not:

Comment publicly, on the record, off the record, or on background to media or non-subscribers regarding:
- The unit sales and/or circulation of any individual title.
- The fiscal, unit sales, and/or library circulation performance of a particular retailer, library, publisher, distributor, or other firm.
- Forward-looking or forecast statements regarding the performance of the industry.
- The performance or market share of any retailer, retail channel, library, or library aggregate.

Panel size/coverage statements

All releases of information drawn from BNC SalesData and/or BNC LibraryData must include:
- Clear indication of the market coverage and sample size of the current retail panel. Current text: “BNC SalesData tracks approximately 85% of the Canadian English-language print book market with data from more than 1,000 retail locations.”
- Clear indication of the coverage and sample size of the current public library panel. Current text: “BNC LibraryData tracks approximately x% of the Canadian population with data from more than y,000 public library branches.”
- A list of the types of retailers contributing to the BNC SalesData panel. Standard text: “including chains, independents, online, college/university stores, and non-traditional bookstores, such as specialty and discount stores.”
- A list of the types of libraries contributing to the BNC LibraryData panel. Standard text: “including rural and urban public library branches and systems.”
In the event that the data includes reference to a comparable store aggregate, the size of the comparable store aggregate relative to the total panel will also be specified: “using year-over-year sales from a fixed panel of retail locations from across the country”.
In the event that the data includes reference to a comparable library aggregate, the size of the comparable library aggregate relative to the total panel will also be specified: “using year-over-year loans/holds from a fixed panel of library branches from across the country”.