Frequently Asked Questions about Publishers Working with Dawson Books

Q. Can Dawson include my books in their database?
A. Yes, but there is no need to send us details. Please ensure that all books are allocated an ISBN and that bibliographic data is submitted to BookData from whom we take frequent data feeds to populate our internal and external databases with title information.

Q. Can Dawson help me announce new titles?
A. Yes. Our enterProfile.com web service is used by the majority of customers to keep abreast of forthcoming books in their chosen disciplines. Customers set up profiles according to subjects of interest and they are informed of new titles in those subject areas in advance of publication.

Q. Will Dawson stock my books?
A. No. Although Dawson is a large multinational bookseller we carry no stock. Dawson operates a ‘virtual stock’ system. We receive stock level information from wholesalers, distributors and publishers throughout the day. Ordering is electronic and turn around in our warehouse extremely rapid.

Q. Can Dawson help me market my books?
A. Dawson maintains a database of millions of book titles published by thousands of publishers. We will do all we can to make your titles visible to our library customers. The amount of marketing we can undertake for individual books is limited but making timely, complete and accurate information available on the Dawson database is key to our marketing effort on your behalf.

Q. To whom should I send my catalogues?
A. Dawson takes regular and frequent data feeds from many external sources commencing with BookData. In preference to sending us catalogues, please ensure you submit timely data to BookData and update your own website at the same time. By all means send us one copy of each catalogue as they are produced.

Q. Can Dawson mail my publicity leaflets?
A. Yes. If you are producing a new major reference work, and have supporting literature describing the book, Dawson is more than willing to mail a leaflet to a targeted list of librarians. We find that our customers are more receptive to mailing pieces that offer an introductory discount. A pre-publication offer also gives us the opportunity to promote the new book on the Special Offers section of our website and on our web service enterBooks.com.

Q. I would like to hold a sale of older books (backlist). Can Dawson help?
A. Yes. We would be happy to promote discounted books via mailings and on the Special Offers section of our website.

Q. I now publish some of my books as eBooks/Online Books. Can Dawson help publicise these?
A. Dawson sells both ebooks and online books and is always interested in entering into a mutually beneficial business arrangement to promote new media.

Q. What else does Dawson do to assist publishers?
A. Each May we hold a customer open day in the UK and in France. These Dawson Days are opportunities for publishers to exhibit their wares and to meet the acquisitions librarians who make purchasing decisions in academic institutions. Space is limited to so contact us if you wish to exhibit at a future Dawson Day.

Q. Can my book jackets to appear on your database?
A. Yes. enterBooks.com is used by our customers for bibliographic research. Many records already display jacket images. We are always interested in loading more. Contact us for more information.

Q. Can I arrange an appointment to visit Dawson?
A. If you need to a face-to-face meeting to discuss specific issues you are welcome to visit Dawson but please phone first to discuss in advance. Alternatively, we are always glad to meet publishers at events such as the London Book Fair. We are proud of our facilities and find that publishers are interested in seeing the scale and sophistication of our operation at Foxhills House. In 2003 we held a successful Open Day for Publishers and may repeat the exercise.

Q. Who should I contact at Dawson?
A. Send email to publish@dawsonbooks.co.uk or telephone Mark Howard on +44 (0)1933 417500.