Auto Pricing

It is important to understand how the built in automated pricing works in IGP:Distribution Manager and how you can use it to get the best use of the system.

The reason it is included is to address the dynamic nature of digital content business. E-books of all types are becoming available in all languages and countries. More and more specialist and local e-bookstores are opening meaning books need to be available in more and more currencies. 

Auto pricing always operates on the side of caution.

Auto pricing works best if you only specify the base price of your base currency. That is your ex-tax price in your country currency code. From this point, any number of currency prices can be calculated automatically. 

If you upload only your base price currency from a spreadsheet or ONIX file, all other required currency prices for your various channels will be calculated for you.

If you upload all currency prices and conversions from a spreadsheet or ONIX file, only currencies not included in the spreadsheet will be calculated. The uploaded currency prices will be treated as custom prices and auto pricing features will not change them.

All books with their channel pricing will be displayed in Editable Book Reports and Distribution Alerts.

If you have distribution set to Auto-ON, the books will be distributed to the configured channel on the next scheduled distribution event.

If you have distribution set to Auto-OFF the books will be listed in the Distribution Alerts and you will have to manually trigger distribution, or manually remove a book from the Distribution Alert list.

The effect of Adding a New Channel

The system can be configured to make a new distribution channel available at any time. The impact of this can be large, especially if there are already a large number of books in the system.

A New Channel may also introduce a new currency.

After the Maintainer has announced the availability of a new Distribution Channel, it will appear in Global Tools - Distribution Channels Inactive list.

1. If a publisher chooses to use this channel they set it up using the standard configuration. This includes setting channel-currency specific pricing if required.
2. If there is a new currency it will appear in Global Tools - Currency Rules. The default conversion rate from the publisher base currency to the new currency must be set.

When all setting have been made the Update Channel Tool is used to generate pricing for all existing books in inventory.

The following happens:

If a New Channel does NOT introduce a new currency:

1. The existing currency price will be used to create the price for each book.
2. On completion of the pricing calculation all books will be added to the Distribution Alerts list and set to Manual. IE. There will be no automated distribution.
3. The Publisher must now go to Distribution Alerts and manually set the book distribution status. This gives the opportunity to check all prices before books are delivered after an automated pricing process.

If a channel introduces a new currency:

1. The new channel-currency price will be calculated using conversion rates and price modifier calculations defined.
2. On completion of the pricing calculation all books will be added to the Distribution Alerts list and set to Manual. IE. There will be no automated distribution.
3. The Publisher must now go to Distribution Alerts and manually set the book distribution status. This gives the opportunity to check all prices before books are delivered after an automated pricing process.

The effect of adding a New Currency to an existing Channel

From time to time a retailer may expand their service into a new market that requires an additional currency for that market. An example is Amazon dealing in USD first, then opening their UK bookstore that required GBP, and then a European bookstore that requires EUR.

1. The system maintainer adds the currency to the channel. This will now appear on each Publishers Global Tools - Currency Rules screen.
2. No auto price generation will occur on a new channel currency event. 
3. If the new channel currency is already in use in the system, nothing needs to be changed. The default conversion rate is applied.
4. If the new currency is not in use in the system, the new currency will appear in Currency Rules and you must set your required conversion rate.
5. The custom pricing option will also appear in the Channel Pricing Configuration and if required you can apply custom pricing for the new currency.

When all setting have been made the Update Channel Tool is used to generate pricing for the new channel currency for all existing books in inventory.

If an existing currency is used:

1. The existing currency price will be used to create the price for each book.
2. On completion of the pricing calculation all books will be added to the Distribution Alerts list and set to Manual. IE. There will be no automated distribution.
3. The Publisher must now go to Distribution Alerts and manually set the book distribution status. This gives the opportunity to check all prices before books are delivered after an automated pricing process.

If a  new currency is introduced:

1. The new channel-currency price will be calculated using conversion rate and price calculations defined.
2. On completion of the pricing calculation all books will be added to the Distribution Alerts list and set to Manual. IE. There will be no automated distribution.
3. The Publisher must now go to Distribution Alerts and manually set the book distribution status. This gives the opportunity to check all prices before books are delivered after an automated pricing process.