Getting Information from the
Ingram Book Company

I want to share two invaluable phone numbers which enable you to get information about your book(s) from the Ingram computer system. Both systems are completely automated with computer responses (i.e. no live bodies involved); to identify your book, you key in its ISBN when prompted.

1. Ingram's Cecil system - find out where your books are warehoused and how many in each location. Phone 1-800-937-0995 and follow the prompts.
2. Ingram Stock Activity Report - how many on hand, on order and back ordered. How many sold last week and to date. Phone 1-615-287-6803.

Combining the figures from these two sites for a given ISBN can provide very helpful "intelligence" about what is happening to your book within this huge wholesaler.

The information at both of these numbers is even more valuable if you access it on a regular basis and tabulate the results into a spreadsheet. We check our title every Friday evening and over the year have developed a picture of cyclical ordering, sales, etc., by region. We also check the ISBN of our only competitor and know where we stand in terms of Ingram sales. Currently, we are out selling them about 100:1.

Dave Hunter (Along Interstate-75)
mile_oak@compuserve.com

James A. Cox
Editor-in-Chief
Midwest Book Review
278 Orchard Drive
Oregon, WI 53575-1129
phone: 1-608-835-7937
e-mail: mbr@execpc.com
e-mail: mwbookrevw@aol.com
http://www.midwestbookreview.com

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