CLEVELAND, OH--(Marketwire - Aug 8, 2012) - OverDrive's industry-leading catalog of eBooks and audiobooks topped 1 million titles in July, with surging demand for eBooks and new publisher partnerships driving unprecedented growth. The fastest growing segments, Children's/Young Adult and International (including popular non-English content), signal exceptional expansion opportunities in library and school markets in the U.S. and overseas. Every day throughout OverDrive's growing network of 19,000 libraries, schools, retailers and device manufacturers (OEMs), millions of readers in 20 countries enjoy popular titles from bestselling authors on Kindle® (U.S. only), iPad®, Nook™, iPhone® and all major eReading devices.
"In time for 'Back to School,' and in response to global demand for eBooks, we're enriching our catalog with even more popular and diverse content," said Erica Lazzaro, general counsel and head of publisher relations at OverDrive. "Each week, we're adding new publishers offering thousands of new titles -- with a particular focus recently on Children's, Young Adult, and foreign-language genres -- and this broad digital content is reaching millions of readers through our channels."
OverDrive has recently reached eBook distribution agreements with a wide-ranging group of publishers and digital book aggregators, which join its industry-leading roster of more than 1,000 publishers in 52 languages, including Random House, HarperCollins, Pottermore, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, Orca Books, Saddleback, Sourcebooks and Disney Digital Books. New publishers signed in 2012 include:
Holiday House: A favorite publisher for young people, offering popular titles to libraries.
Mango Languages: A fast-growing publisher of foreign language learning materials for libraries and schools.
Kids Can Press: Publishes Paulette Bourgeois' classic Franklin the Turtle in eBook formats.
Amicus Publishing: Offers creative learning materials for young readers, including popular nonfiction leveled eBooks like "Simple Machines" and "What's It Like To Be a Bee?".
Kodansha (Japan): Largest Japanese publisher offers thousands of popular titles via libraries and retailers.
Cloudary (China): Leading publisher of Chinese online literature brings growing catalog of serialized, user-generated eBooks to readers via libraries and retailers.
Santillana (Spain): Publishes Spanish translations of bestsellers like "Eat Pray Love" and the Twilight saga, as well as successful educational and children's titles. Available via retail only.
Mondadori (Italy): Leading publishing group operates trade publishers Edizioni Mondadori, Einaudi, Piemme, Sperling & Kupfer and Electa. Available via retail only.
MintRight (Russia): eBook aggregator distributes Cyrillic translations of international bestsellers like "The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo" as well as popular Russian authors like Vasily Aksenov. Available via libraries.
The dramatic growth of OverDrive's catalog is the direct result of synergistic relationships between publishers, libraries and retailers. Developing retail partnerships opens doors for more publishers to access OverDrive's library and school channels; the exposure eBooks gain in libraries and schools generates new retail sales; data gathered across OverDrive's library network helps inform publishers' strategic decisions by providing insights into readers' browsing and borrowing habits. These mutually beneficial partnerships translate to more content available to more readers in more places.
With the number of new OverDrive publisher partners accelerating in 2012, the B2B digital distributor has dramatically increased its ingestion capabilities through team additions and process improvements. As a result, in June, OverDrive added a single-month record of more than 100,000 new titles.
OverDrive provides Next Generation eBook distribution services for more than 19,000 libraries, schools and retailers worldwide with support for Windows®, Mac®, iPhone®, iPad®, Kindle® (U.S. only), Sony® Reader, Nook™, Android™, Windows® Phone and BlackBerry®. To find a library near you, visit search.overdrive.com.
About OverDrive
OverDrive is a leading multichannel digital distributor of eBooks, digital audiobooks, music and video. We deliver secure management, DRM protection and download fulfillment services for hundreds of publishers and thousands of libraries, schools and retailers, serving millions of end users. OverDrive has been named to the EContent 100 as a company that matters most in the digital content industry. Founded in 1986, OverDrive is based in Cleveland. www.overdrive.com
Contact Information:
Contact:
David Burleigh
OverDrive, Inc.
216-573-6886 x218