Keeping up with the latest book releases is a constant challenge that we all face, especially booksellers and library staff, who are always looking for new titles for their readers.
In this new instalment of the Easier with BookNet series, we’ll share a few tips on how you can keep track of upcoming titles by using CataList’s home page and the search tools on the site.
CataList is BookNet Canada’s online catalogue service and order management tool. If you don’t have an account yet, you can request one here. Basic accounts are free for book retailers and library staff.
Keep an eye on the home page
CataList’s home page contains a wealth of information about forthcoming titles, from catalogues to new releases and drop-ins.
When publishers add titles to CataList, they add them to a seasonal catalogue first. Looking at these catalogues — such as a publisher’s Fall 2023 catalogues — is a great way to start finding new releases.
There are two simple ways to find seasonal catalogues on the home page:
Publisher list — Use the publisher list on the left-hand side of the home page to visit a publisher’s landing page, where all of their seasonal catalogues are displayed.
Newest Catalogues carousel — Scroll through the Newest Catalogues carousel on the home page to see the latest seasonal catalogues that publishers have added to the site. This list is updated as soon as any publisher posts a new catalogue.
The remaining two carousels on the home page show individual forthcoming titles:
Recent Drop-ins — Stay on top of a season’s late additions by browsing the Drop-in carousel. These titles were added after the seasonal catalogues were already announced.
Releasing this week — For titles closer to their publication date, browse through this carousel for a list of upcoming releases that are being published by any publisher on CataList.
You can also search for drop-ins or new releases by month, across all publishers. Under either carousel, choose an upcoming month from the drop-down menu and click Go.
If you’d rather the home page show catalogues and titles posted by specific publishers, you can log in and personalize the page on the Favourite Publishers tab.
Use the advanced search
Beyond the monthly release shortcuts on the home page, CataList’s Advanced Search has filters that can help limit your search results to certain forthcoming titles. Need a refresher on how to use CataList’s Advance Search tool to its fullest potential? Read this blog post.
Here are just a few of the many ways you can use search to find new releases:
Return only books added to CataList in the past two days — Or books added in the past seven, 15, or 30 days. These are all possible options when you use the Advanced Search! For example, if you work with children’s books, you can limit your search to Juvenile titles (using the Audience filter) that were added in the past 15 days.
Choose a publication date range — When setting up your advanced search or refining your search results, use the publication date option to look ahead and see what books will be published within your selected date range.
When logged in, you can save your search to run it again whenever you want.
Happy browsing!
Looking for more actionable tips on to leverage the power of BookNet’s products and services? Start by reading other instalments of our Easier with BookNet blog series here, and don’t hesitate to get in touch with your specific questions. We’re here to help you succeed!
How to use CataList reports to keep track of new drop-in titles and changes to key elements that publishers make to their forthcoming titles.