A company set up by the booksellers association, the british library, the library association and the publishers association to encourage the establishment of standards in the book trade. Among other activities, bic has responsibility for bar codes and edi standards.
Book Industry Communication (BIC) is a set of standards for exchanging information about books and publishing between different organizations. It is maintained by the Book Industry Study Group (BISG) and is used by publishers, booksellers, libraries, and others involved in the book industry.
BIC has been around since the early 1990s and was originally designed to help booksellers order books from publishers. It has since been expanded to include other information such as book metadata and cover images. BIC is based on a set of international standards, such as ISO 2146 (International Standard Book Number) and ISO 639 (Language Codes), which makes it easier for different organizations to exchange information.
BIC is used by many different organizations in the book industry. For example, publishers use it to send information about their books to booksellers, libraries use it to order books from publishers, and booksellers use it to order books from wholesalers. BIC is also used by some online bookstores, such as Amazon, to exchange information about books.
BIC has been expanded to include other information beyond just ordering information. For example, BIC now includes book metadata, which is information such as the title, author, and subject of a book. This metadata can be used by libraries to catalog books, and by online bookstores to help customers find the books they are looking for. BIC also includes cover images, which can be used by booksellers and libraries to promote books.
BIC is an important part of the book industry, and is used by many different organizations to exchange information about books.
BIC is important because it helps to ensure that everyone is on the same page and that the book is being published according to the author’s vision. It also helps to avoid misunderstandings and miscommunications that can delay or even prevent a book from being published.