New Providence, N.J. - November 19, 2008 - PubEasy®, the global inquiry and ordering service for the book industry, today announced that Southern Book Service has joined the growing PubEasy community of booksellers and suppliers.

Southern Book Service is a Miami-based book distributor that has been serving retailers for more than 35 years. As the newest PubEasy affiliate, the company will now be able to offer their customers the ability to check price and availability on various book titles, enter orders online, receive email acknowledgments of PubEasy orders and track book orders.

“We are delighted to welcome Southern Book Service as the newest PubEasy affiliate and look forward to working with them to deploy our electronic platform that will assist their valued customers with the day-to-day process of inquiring about and ordering books, said Charles Halpin, director of market development for PubEasy, a business unit of New Providence, N.J.-based Bowker.

Southern Book Service employs a dedicated buying and sales staff that averages more than 25 years in the book industry, including a bilingual sales team.

“Some of our highest volume customers use the PubEasy service themselves and have requested to be a part of our first group of participants, so our PubEasy affiliation is already streamlining the book ordering process for us,” said Billy Fennell, sales manager for Southern Book Service. “In fact, to simplify things for booksellers, all PubEasy customers will now automatically have their own account established with Southern Book Service.”

According to Fennell, Southern Book Service carries titles in 45 different subjects, including new releases and bestselling backlist titles, and works with retailers from small family-owned bookstores to multi-location chains. The company provides a number of value-added resources to its customers, such as a free “books received daily” email and a weekly email with the updated nationwide bestseller list.

About Bowker
Bowker is the world's leading provider of bibliographic information management solutions designed to help publishers, booksellers, and libraries better serve their customers. The company is focused on developing various tools and products that make books easier for people to discover, evaluate, order, and experience, as well as providing services to publishers that help them better understand and meet the interests of readers worldwide. Bowker is a member of the ProQuest family of companies and is headquartered in New Providence, N.J., with additional operations in England and Australia. For more information, please visit www.bowker.com.