Advance Information Guidelines & FAQ 1/4/2008
Helix Advance Information (AI) Instructions
For detailed instructions on accessing the Advance Information pages on the Helix website, please click here: http://media.perseusdistribution.com/download/PGW/HelixAIPub.pdf.
The AI Title List page defaults to the current catalog production season. To view AIs or enter new titles for another season, you may change the season in the dropdown menu at the top right. Scroll over the "(?)" where available for more information on that field.
New Title Entry:
The New Title Entry section is at the top of the AI Title List page. To add new titles, be sure the correct season is listed in the dropdown at the top right and click the Add Title button. New titles cannot be entered for previous seasons (email your PCC or if you have a title from a previous season that is not in the database). For titles shipping in a season later than the default, you should select the desired future season PRIOR to clicking Add Title. Note: Entering New Titles now allows for immediate editing, no longer using a Preview List and a one business day waiting period.
Publishing Imprint: For publishers with access to multiple imprints, please be sure to select the correct imprint the title will be published under.
Ship Month: Only months included for the selected season will be displayed; if you need a month that is not available in the dropdown please contact your PCC or for assistance.
ISBN-13: Enter the 13-digit ISBN by selecting the correct prefix from the dropdown and filling in the remaining digits in the text field, including a hyphen before the check-digit. An error message will appear if the ISBN is invalid, and a new check-digit will be suggested. If this happens, double-check the number you entered to verify that it is indeed the check-digit that needs to be corrected and not transposed numbers earlier in the ISBN.
Prefix/Article: The, A, or An
Title: DO NOT ENTER ALL CAPS unless the title should actually appear in all caps! There is a separate field for Subtitle in the AI page -- it is not needed for title entry.
Contributor(s): Enter the names of all contributors, and their role if other than the author. An example is given under the field.
Edition: If a previous edition was published, enter the edition number for the new title here.
Media/Format: Select the closest match from the dropdown.
Catalog Type: Select the catalog type that the title should fall under.
Click the Save New Title button when finished. Once successfully added, new titles are ready for AI Editing immediately. You will have the option to continue adding new titles or continue editing the last title entered, or return to the Title List. If you click the Cancel button instead of Save New Title, the information you have entered will not be saved.
Editing the AI page:
Once new titles are entered, the AI Title List displays all new frontlist titles for the selected season, by imprint if more than one are available for the selected Publisher. Click the Edit AI button to the left of a title to view the selected title’s information and enter specs and copy. Click the title itself for a printable AI View report of information entered so far. When the AI has been finalized a green checkmark will appear in the finalized column. Once Print and Web copy is ready for review, links to both pages will appear at the end of the title line.
In the AI Edit page:
A Title’s season cannot be changed without contacting your PCC or .
1. To enter information in each section, click the Edit button in the section header.
2. Fields in Red are required for national sell-in and data feeds. Please fill out as much information as possible for each title. This helps us retain accurate records for PGW Sales and Marketing representatives — and you.
3. Click the Save button when you have finished entering the information within a field -- if you hit the back button on your browser before saving, the information will not be stored in the database.
4. Once you have completed each field, please review your entries to make sure they are correct. Any required fields that have not been completed will be listed in Red at the top of the AI page. You will need to enter text/specs in all mandatory fields before being able to finalize.
5. Once all specs and mandatory description are in for a title, the option to Finalize it will now appear at the top of its AI. In order for catalog production to proceed, all titles must be finalized by the AI deadline for that ship month. Once you have finalized an AI, you cannot go back into the application and change spec information, so please make sure all items are correct before doing so. After a title's AI is finalized, please send all spec updates to your Marketing Assistant, also including your Primary Catalog Contact (PCC) for any titles in the current frontlist catalog season.
a. Fields locked when the AI is finalized:
i. Title Information
ii. Media & Format Information
iii. Category Information
iv. Interior Art
v. Contributors
b. Fields available for entering after the AI is finalized:
i. Additional Title Information
ii. International Rights
iii. Contributor Information
iv. Contributor Residences
v. Contributor Previous Works
vi. Key Notes
vii. Marketing Points
viii. Description
ix. Description in Spanish
x. Author Tour
xi. Promotion & Publicity
xii. Series Description
xiii. Prior Distribution
xiv. Reviews, Articles, Quotes, Endoresments
xv. Market
xvi. Competition/Comparative Titles
xvii. Table of Contents
xviii. Excerpt
6. To print the page, select the Print icon in your browser or go to File: Print. Printing from the AI View mode instead of the Edit mode is recommended.
7. To go back to the list of titles, click on Title List. You can now maintain a set of titles with more than one Publishing Imprint, without logging in as each one.
8. If you have changes to your specs, or major changes in description, after a title is finalized, please contact your Marketing Assistant and for frontlist titles include your primary catalog contact.
Preview List & AI FAQs (Frequently Asked Questions)
Q: I’ve logged in, but my titles don’t appear. Why?
A: First, check the drop-down season list to make sure you're looking at the correct season's titles. Second, if you haven’t entered your titles, please add new titles first by clicking the Add Title button at the top of the Advance Information (AI) page displaying the title list.
Q: If an already-cataloged title is being postponed to the new catalog season, do I need to enter it in the AI?
A: No. If this title is not being reannounced in the new catalog season, it will simply remain in the old catalog season as a delayed ship. Occasionally postponed titles are reannounced; in this case please inform your catalog and marketing point persons and its season will be changed and its AI made editable. If the title appears on the AI title list for the correct season, it won't need to be added to the preview list form.
Q: At one time, I was able to edit the AI data, but now I can’t — what can I do?
A: If you have accidentally finalized the AI, contact your primary catalog contact to de-finalize the AI. If you simply want to go back and make a spec change, email your primary catalog contact (who is listed on each title) and if the title has been published on www.pgw.com/catalog, you’re Marketing Assistant, with any changes. These fields are protected since catalogs (web and print) are in production and it’s important that the changes are forwarded to everyone working on copy as well as to our inventory and shipping system.
Q: Why are some fields required to finalize a title?
A: The fields that are required in order to finalize your titles are all mandatory, for PGW to sell your titles to either national or independent accounts. For specs such as page count or carton quantity, your best guess is perfectly acceptable. Even if you produce your own catalog and don't need PGW's copywriters to write catalog copy, technical and descriptive information is still required for all titles.
Q: How do I create a bullet? (•)
A: Use standard html tags to indicate formatting and special characters like bullets (http://www.w3schools.com/tags/tag_li.asp ), instead of key combinations or copying and pasting special characters from formatted text. When editing AI descriptive fields, there helpful instructions on how to use html at the bottom, and there are many great free resources online such as http://www.w3schools.com/tags/default.asp .
Not all special characters will show up correctly in PGW's database. But if your text looks correct in the AI view mode, it's probably OK for us, too.
Q: There are strange characters or formatting appearing; why?
A: You may be copying and pasting formatted text. In MS Word (especially), there are formatting issues that arise with copying text into other applications. Save the copy as plain text, then copy and paste it. It’s saved without formatting in the database anyway. In most text fields, it's OK to add simple HTML tags for formatting: <I>italic</I> or <b>bold</b>. If you're unable to get strange characters to disappear please email your technical contact listed on the site.
Q: I have Illustrator/Photographer/Translator information to enter; where does this belong?
A: Place all biographical or background information in the Contributor Information field. Names of all contributors that will be listed on the book's cover must also be entered in the Contributors field, which contains two components:
1. Free-text field with a list of all contributors; different types should be separated by an <R> tag, eg:
Edited by Barney Rosset, Alan Kaufman, and Neil Ortenberg<R>Foreword by Jane Smith
Luis J. Rodríguez<R>Illustrated by Daniel Galvez
The <R> you may see in the Contributors field is what PGW uses for line breaks in Full Author Display Names only. If you see this character in your author names in the AI, please do not remove it
2. Numbered list with drop-downs for selecting new Contributors and their type/role. There is also a button to Add New Contributor. It is highly recommended to fill in residence info for all contributors on all titles. If the contributor you're looking for doesn't appear on the drop-down list, you can add them and then select them: "If you need a contributor modified in our database, please email .
Q: Which calendar months are included as part of Winter, Spring, and Fall ship dates?
Winter ship dates include November through January, spring ship dates include February through June, and fall ship dates include July through October. Children's titles are not cataloged in Winter.
Q: Where should I mention the audience for this title?
A: Be sure to address this in the Market field and/or the Marketing Points field. Also, please add Age Range information for Children’s Books and Graphic Novels.
Q: I have titles that are being released simultaneously (i.e., in Cloth and Trade) or title in a series; can I copy descriptive information to another AI?
A: Yes. After click the Edit AI button for a title form the title list, click on the Import button at the bottom of the page to import descriptive field content from another title. Then select a title from a dropdown menu to import from, check the appropriate fields you want to copy from, and click the Review Selections button to preview the information that will be imported. If the title you're looking for doesn't appear, it may be in a different imprint – contact your Technical Contact in this case.
Q: How can I save the AI into a file such as MS Word or Word Perfect?
A: The best way to copy text is, in AI View mode, to Select Edit from the menu bar, then Select All (or just key ctrl-a). Next, select Edit>Copy (ctrl-c). Open a new notepad or other plain text document and go to Edit>Paste*** (ctrl-v). Then, open a new MS Word or Word Perfect file, and perform the same process, copying and pasting text from the word pad or plain text document into Word. Make sure to save the file.
***Note: If you try to copy and paste text directly from the AI application right into MS Word or Word Perfect, you may encounter problems such as your computer freezing or a “Program Not Responding” Error message. To avoid this, follow the instructions above.
Q: How do I save my work?
A: After you’ve entered the information in Edit Mode and clicked Save for that descriptive section, all of your work is automatically saved in PGW's editorial database. To change the field’s information, return to Edit mode and make changes, then click Save again. You don't need to email anyone to let them know when you've completed your AI, but don't forget to click "Finalize" for the AI once all mandatory specs are entered, before its due date, as outlined in the deadlines: http://media.perseusdistribution.com/download/PGW/Deadlines.xls