How to package a book with a DVD to sell as one product?

June 21, 2007 11:30 AM

How would you go about packaging an existing, published book (with an ISBN) with an existing movie on DVD (without a UPC) for sale as a single item on Amazon and elsewhere?

The book was released a few years back, and is very well received in its genre, while the movie is relatively new and not yet on Amazon.

I'm in contact with the book's author and the movie's writer/director, and they have asked me to help in getting these two items packaged together to sell as one product.

This article from Kevin Kelly helps with getting a DVD or book on Amazon, but has no mention of what I'm trying to do.

Short of getting a bunch of copies of the book and a bunch of copies of the DVD and physically putting them in the same wrapper, what else needs to be done? Is there a company that will do this better (as in, more professionally) than I can? (This is in the U.S., FWIW.)

posted by nitsuj to grab bag (2 comments total)

"Short of getting a bunch of copies of the book and a bunch of copies of the DVD and physically putting them in the same wrapper, what else needs to be done?"

According to the rules of GS1 (the organization in charge of the standards for UPC codes), your two-pack would need its own new GTIN (that's the number that goes in your UPC code) even if both items inside it already had their own. To directly quote the GTIN allocation rules:

Combination Pack are composed of two or more retail trade items normally sold separately, that are bound together.

A new GTIN is required for the retail consumer trade item because it is a new and unique product. For all combination packs it is important to obscure any bar code symbol on a lower packaging level.

I have no idea if Amazon will carry a product that lacks a GTIN, but you can ask them. Most retailers probably won't.
posted by CrayDrygu at 11:49 AM on June 21, 2007

Whoever it is that is your printer for your book should be able to package the DVD with it when they print the book. You can either shrink wrap it together, or have the dvd in a sleeve inside the cover.

You will need an ISBN for the book, a UPC for the DVD and then a new ISBN for the book/dvd combo package.
posted by misanthropicsarah at 1:27 PM on June 21, 2007