Content Management Best Practices – U.S. and Canada

Content Management Best Practices

The VitalSource network of institutions and learners is vast. To best support our joint customers, there are critical windows each year within which VitalSource strongly recommends that publishers review and make updates to their content. Adhering to these windows will help ensure that the most up-to-date content is discoverable and adoptable at publishers’ intended prices and end users experience no difficulty finding and purchasing their assigned materials.

Guidelines for Updating Prices and Content

Updating Prices

Price updates should be received by VitalSource no later than 1 March for adoptions in summer and autumn terms and no later than 15 September for adoptions in winter and spring terms.

Generally, VitalSource advises updating Digital List Prices (DLPs), which will trigger updates of other relevant prices, including IA and EA prices. Any publishers unsure about how their organisation should update its prices within VitalSource systems should contact their Customer Success Manager or publisherenablement@vitalsource.com.

Adding New Content to Inventory

Putting newly available and newly published content into VitalSource inventory before institution adoption windows helps ensure that the most up-to-date content is available to be adopted by institutions, bookstores and instructors. New content should be added to VitalSource inventory prior to 1 March for use in the summer term, prior to 1 May for use in the autumn term and prior to 15 September for use in the winter and spring terms.

When adding new content to VitalSource inventory, make sure you add ISBNs of previous editions to newly created assets. This helps enhance discoverability between editions. Also make sure you set channel sales rules as widely as your relationship with VitalSource allows to ensure that newly added content is available in all expected regions

For more information, please see the following resource:

• Download, Complete and Upload the Metadata Template in VitalSource Upload

Adding Distribution Rights

Many publishers have their content configured through VitalSource to be nationally available to institutions. When content is not nationally available, distribution rights should be assigned to institutions planning to use the content before the institution adoption windows. Where needed, distribution rights should be assigned to institutions prior to 1 March for use in the summer term, prior to 1 May for use in the autumn term and prior to 15 September for use in the winter and spring terms.

For more information, please see the following resource:

• Set Distribution Rights and Custom Pricing for Your Content

Removing Content from Inventory

When content moves out of distribution (or goes ‘off sale’) through VitalSource, end users who already have licences to the content retain access throughout the duration of those licences.

However, to ensure that users can purchase and access (as first-time users) adopted content during critical autumn and spring back-to-school windows, VitalSource recommends that publishers avoid configuring content to go off sale between 1 January and 25 February or between 1 August and 30 September. Where publishers are aware of active adoptions, they should also avoid removing distribution rights, moving out of national availability or otherwise revoking distribution settings during institution add/drop periods.

Rush Readiness Best Practices

Please visit our Rush Readiness Best Practices page for more information.