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CPI launched its electronic book cataloguing service to UK publishers at the London International Book Fair (LIBF) this week.

The new service will enable publishers to preview actual pages of their titles on the web to help stimulate hard copy sales.

Publishers could use the service to market their books on sites such as

Amazon and (US-based) Barnes & Noble, where book information is presented "un-formatted", said CPI general manager for e-book development Ed Podrasky.

"[Publishers] can put up as many pages of the book as they want, enough to sell it and to give as much information as possible to the consumer," said Podrasky.

The system, which has yet to be named, was developed with an unnamed third party that had originally devised it for previewing photo albums on the web.

Actual book pages are uploaded so that the customer can see exactly what they would be buying. They can flick through the books by clicking on pages; the system even has an in-built, authentic "page-flicking" sound.

Podrasky said the £330m group had "stumbled upon" the idea while developing its digital data conversion services for digital printing and e-book production. He claimed that publishers in the US "love it" and Barnes & Noble is looking into using the system to preview sleeve notes from CDs.

This was CPI’s first trip to LIBF as an exhibitor. UK managing director Peter Palframan said he was "really pleased" with the response. "On the first day we had 51 overall enquiries and today [day two] we’re expecting between 70-80."

The 32nd LIBF was staged at London Olympia from 17-19 March.

Story by Lauretta Roberts