Constellation Service Offering

Overview

• Constellation is a set of digital services intended to enable publishers to participate widely in the emerging digital landscape at a cost balanced with the revenue potential of those digital opportunities.
• It currently includes e-Book distribution, digital discovery services, and two varieties of digital printing (short print run (SPR) and print on demand (POD)), along with a number of online marketing tools.
• Constellation is designed to be flexible to allow Clients to tailor the services to their needs at a title level, and partner and technology agnostic to extend reach.
• In representing the needs of over one hundred independent publishers, Constellation is also intended to streamline the administrative burden for Clients and digital partners alike while enabling Clients to make more money from their digital efforts.

FAQ

1. Who are the vendors?

	Partners
Digital Discovery	Amazon SITB B&N See Inside Google Book Search Ingram
E-book sales / Electronic rights licensing	Amazon Kindle Apple / iTunes B&N Sony OverDrive Ebrary ReadHowYouWant eBooks.com Follett Ingram myiLibrary Ingram eBook Kobo Rights licensing with existing vendors: eBooks.com / EBL Ebrary (Ingram) myiLibrary
Print on Demand	Lightning Source CreateSpace (formerly BookSurge)
Short Print Run	Edwards Brothers

2. How do I enroll?
   Publishers must sign a Constellation contract. In the case of publishers who do physical distribution through Perseus Distribution, PGW, or Consortium, that contract takes the form of an amendment to the client’s physical distribution agreement. The documentation indicates the digital services in which you elect to participate and includes a set of representations and warranties from you to the appropriate digital service providers (e.g., Amazon, Google, BN.com). Shortly after the agreement is fully executed, you will receive a logon and password to Constellation’s Digital Asset Management system.

3. What are my responsibilities as a participating Client publisher?
   Your chief responsibilities as a participating Client publisher are to identify which titles you’d like to put in which programs; to secure any rights you do not already have to display, distribute, and / or sell your content in digital form; to determine how you will price your digital content and compensate your authors where applicable; and to deliver your book files to Constellation.

4. Do I have to sign a contract with each of the vendors?
   You do not have to sign a contract with each of the vendors: one of the primary purposes of Constellation is to take on that burden on your behalf, and in so doing secure a better deal collectively, at lower administrative cost, for all participating Client publishers. You will need to represent and warrant to our digital partners that you have the rights to display, distribute, and/or sell your content in digital form, but you will do so primarily via the enrollment process with Constellation. Certain vendors, such as Google, may require some additional paperwork; however, our hope and intent is to keep that paperwork to a minimum.

5. What happens if I already have a contract with one or more of these vendors?
   Subject to certain nuances individual to each digital service provider, you will be able to transition to Constellation’s agreement and service arrangements with that digital service provider.

6. Will Constellation add additional vendors to this program over time?
   Yes. Constellation negotiates agreements with viable digital partners as they emerge and makes these new relationships available to Clients.

7. When do I pay for the various Constellation services, and when do I get paid for sales made through one of the digital programs?
   Generally speaking, you will see the deduction for services related to digital printing (e.g., manufacturing costs associated with short print runs or print on demand) on the statement for the month following the month of service and the deduction for services related to e-books (e.g., file conversions, e-book file loads) on a quarterly basis on the statement for the month following the end of the quarter. Sales made via any of the Constellation programs are subject to the reporting and payment cycle of the individual digital partners (some of these partners report and pay on a quarterly, rather than monthly, basis).

8. How will I manage my titles in Constellation?
   All Clients receive a secure, individual login into Telescope, Perseus’ Digital Asset Management system, for file uploads. Starting in June 2010, the Constellation Dashboard will available for detailed title activity such as title status by vendor, sales reporting, and title metadata details. For other needs, you will be able to reach out to your distribution services contact or a member of the Constellation team.

9. How will I know my titles have been sent to my designated digital vendors?
   Where each title has been sent and when will be associated with that title’s record in Telescope. Starting June 2010, the Constellation Dashboard will be available for instant access to specific title information by vendor or program. In addition, a weekly title delivery report can be emailed showing vendor title delivery detail.