Following a statement from UK-based Nielsen Book president Jonathan Nowell that he expected the company would launch an ebook bestseller chart in ‘a matter of months rather than years', Symonds said Nielsen BookScan in Australia would be ‘initially following a global model'. ‘Not until enough diverse sales data becomes available in individual territories can we look at a more regional model,' he told the Weekly Book Newsletter.
Like Nowell, Symonds said a chart would not be launched ‘unless it is as comprehensive and robust as we can make it', adding that the company had to ‘protect the exposure of the individual panellists'.
‘The key behind the establishment of a service is to have proper consistent identification of ebooks by ISBN by all publishers and use of these by retailers,' said Symonds.
Nowell told the Bookseller he was ‘talking to all the players' but would not comment on what proportion of ebook sales would have to be represented before a chart could be created, saying the Nielsen team would be able to identify any issues as testing begins.
‘Publishers should absolutely be clamouring for an ebook chart,' said Nowell. ‘They have a part to play in terms of the ISBNs--and our job is to put out a comprehensive, robust, reliable chart. We will only do that when we are absolutely confident we won't be exposuring any particular retailer's sales, which I think will be a matter of months rather than years.'
