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 publishers review and make updates to their content. Adhering to these windows will help ensure 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
| TERM/TASK DATES | DATES |
| Price Updates to Current Content | |
| Summer & Fall terms |
By March 1 |
| Winter & Spring terms |
By September 15 |
| Add New Content to Inventory |
|
| Summer term |
By March 1 |
| Fall term |
By May 1 |
| Winter & Spring terms |
By September 15 |
| Retire Old Content from Inventory |
|
| Fall term |
Avoid August 1 – September 30 |
| Spring term |
Avoid January 1 – February 25 |
Updating Prices
Price updates should be received by VitalSource no later than March 1 for adoptions in summer and fall terms, and no later than September 15 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 organization should update its prices within VitalSource systems, please reach out to your 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 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 March 1 for use in summer term, prior to May 1 for use in fall term, and prior to September 15 for use in winter and spring terms.
When adding new content to VitalSource inventory, be sure to add ISBNs of previous editions to newly created assets. This helps enhance discoverability between editions. Also be sure to set channel sales rules as widely as your relationship with VitalSource allows, to ensure newly added content is available in all expected regions
For more information, see the following resource:
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 March 1 for use in summer term, prior to May 1 for use in fall term, and prior to September 15 for use in winter and spring terms.
For more information, see the following resource:
Removing Content from Inventory
When content moves out of distribution (or goes “off sale”) through VitalSource, end users who already have licenses to the content retain access through the duration of those licenses.
However, to ensure users can purchase and access (as first-time users) adopted content during critical fall and spring back-to-school windows, VitalSource recommends publishers avoid configuring content to go off sale January 1 through February 25 or August 1 through September 30. 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.