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Researchers at Robert Gordon University in Aberdeen are investigating how the book industry's traditional communication is being transformed by the web.

Jo Royle of RGU's school of information and media, who is heading a project funded by the British National Bibliographic Research Fund, said:

"Amazon.com has propelled the book industry to the forefront of e-commerce."

The trend is for publishers to use websites to build relationships with customers rather than focusing on wholesalers and retailers. The study will investigate what information booksellers would like to find on publishers' websites, which could help them anticipate customer demand. "The more effective these lines of communication between publishers, booksellers and wholesalers are, the more efficient and cost-effective all these parties can be," Ms Royle said.