ONIX FAQ

The latest version of ONIX International can be sourced from the Editeur website. The Frequently Asked Questions included below are courtesy of Editeur.

What is ONIX International?
ONIX stands for Online Information eXchange. It refers to a standard format that publishers can use to distribute electronic information about their books to wholesale, e-tail and retail booksellers, other publishers, and anyone else involved in the sale of books.

Why was ONIX Created?
It's a proven fact that the more information customers have about a book, the more likely they are to buy it. In the bricks and mortar world, the jacket cover of a book contains much of the promotional information about that book: cover design, synopsis, reviews, author biography, etc. All of this information (also known as book metadata) draws the potential reader into a book and helps to sell it.

The Internet has grown as a popular place to buy books. Online, however, there is no physical book to pick up and peruse. What has replaced it is a web page devoted to the book that can be designed to carry all the rich information of the jacket cover, and more, such as audio and video files pertaining to the book. And again, the richer the data, the better the chances are for selling the book.

However, getting that data about each book from publishers to booksellers has been a challenge, complicated by the fact that each major industry database company (such as Ingram, Bowker, and Amazon) has had a different format preference for receiving the data. This lack of a standard made it difficult and time-consuming for publishers to format and exchange their book information.
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What is the goal for ONIX International?
The goal is to standardise the transmitting of product information so that wholesalers, retailers and others in the supply chain will all be able to accept information that is transferred electronically in ONIX International format.

How was ONIX Originated?
ONIX was developed as a solution to two modern problems: (1) the need for richer book data online; and (2) the widely varying format requirements of the major book wholesalers and retailers. Throughout 1999, the American Association of Publishers (AAP) worked together with the major wholesalers, online retailers, and book information services to create a universal, international format in which all publishers, regardless of their size, could exchange information about books. The group unveiled ONIX 1.0 in January 2000.

Much of ONIX is based on the pre-existing EPICS (EDItEUR Product Information Communication Standards), a much broader standard for defining products which was developed internationally by EDItEUR, drawing on the combined experience of Book Industry Study Group (BISG) in the US and Book Industry Communication (BIC) in the UK.

How Does ONIX Work?
The standard allows for a publisher to use either of two standards – Level 1 or Level 2. Level 1 contains all the information in Level 2. Standard data elements in Level 1 are targeted to publishers who have not established an in-house database of product information. Level 2 is targeted for those publishers who feel that Level 1 data elements are not adequate.

The ONIX standard defines both a list of data fields about a book and how to send that data in an "ONIX message." ONIX specifies over 200 data elements, each of which has a standard definition, so that everyone can be sure they're referring to the same thing. Some of these data elements, such as ISBN, author name, and title, are required; others, such as book reviews and cover image, remain optional. While most data elements consist of text (e.g., contributor biography), many are multimedia files, such as images and audio files. (It is particularly these optional fields--excerpts, reviews, cover images, author photos, etc.--that lead to more sales online.)

An ONIX message is a set of data elements defined by "tags" that is written in the computer language XML (eXtensible Markup Language) and that conforms to a specific template, or set of rules, also known as the ONIX DTD (Document Type Definition). The DTD defines, among other things, how to order the data elements, and how the elements are interrelated.
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Why Does ONIX Use XML?
ONIX uses XML for a number of reasons:

• XML is optimized for creating complex documents and transmitting and exchanging data between computers.
• XML is text-readable, meaning that humans as well as computers can recognize and read the data. Most tags, which define each book data element, consist of English words or abbreviations--for instance, an ONIX message would list the Publisher's name as follows: "<PublisherName>Scribner's</PublisherName>". These factors make it easier for smaller organizations to design and implement ONIX-compliant systems.
• XML software is inexpensive, meaning that even smaller publishers can use it, which was a major goal of the ONIX committee.

How is an ONIX Message Created?
Creating an ONIX message involves two steps: (1) organizing the book data into ONIX-specified fields and storing it in a database; and (2) using an XML software application and the ONIX DTD (the set of rules) to organize and tag that data. A single ONIX message may contain data about multiple books.

How is an ONIX Message Transmitted/Received?
An ONIX message is transmitted across networks and the Internet the same way other data is--for instance, as an email attachment or by ftp (file transfer protocol).

Once an ONIX message is received by, say, an online retailer, the same tools (an XML software application and the ONIX DTD) are used to verify the data's integrity. From that point, the retailer translates that data into what you see on a web page. (The matter of how much of the data is displayed on their web page is strictly up to the retailer.)
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What is the Future of ONIX?
The book publishing world is now moving towards ONIX. Major online booksellers, such as Amazon, BN.com, Borders, and Fatbrain, are working to make ONIX the sole standard for transmitting information about books. Major wholesalers and catalog publishers, such as Ingram and R.R. Bowker, are also working to adopt the ONIX standard. Wider industry acceptance will lead to increased efficiencies in the transfer of book data, which will ultimately benefit book sales.

Future issues to be addressed include adding standards for electronic books, video and incorporating concepts of digital rights. In addition, processes for certifying that transmitted data is valid and correct are being developed. ONIX will continue to evolve as needs are identified.

What groups are responsible for ONIX International?
ONIX is now published and maintained by EDItEUR in association with the Book Industry Study Group (BISG) in the U.S. and BIC in the U.K. The latest version of ONIX is referred to as ONIX International.
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How can I Keep Current On ONIX International ?
www.editeur.org EDItEUR is an international organization with European origins that coordinates the development, promotion, and implementation of EDI (Electronic Data Interchange) in the books and serials sectors. It helps maintain ONIX for the European and international communities.
www.bic.org.uk Book Industry Communication (BIC) is based in the U.K. and was organized and is sponsored by The Publishers Association, The Booksellers Association, The Library Association, and The British Library to develop and promote standards for electronic commerce and communication in the book and serials industry. It helps maintain ONIX for the European and international communities.
www.bisg.org The Book Industry Study Group, Inc. (BISG) currently maintains ONIX for the U.S. publishing industry. As a membership-supported, not-for-profit research organization comprised of several sectors from the publishing community, its goal is to provide accurate and current research information about the industry for its members and others.

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