Global eBook distributor adds 500+ publishers, libraries, schools, booksellers to network

 

Frankfurt, Germany, at the Frankfurter Buchmesse—October 8, 2013—Today at the Frankfurt Book Fair, OverDrive, the largest worldwide distributor of eBooks to libraries, schools and booksellers, released data revealing record growth in its international footprint. By adding thousands of non-English in-copyright titles, the company’s catalog has surpassed 1.8 million, making OverDrive the industry’s fastest-growing global marketplace for eBooks and audiobooks. OverDrive is showcasing its technology at the Frankfurt Book Fair (October 9-11) in Hall 8.0, stand number H69.

“OverDrive’s network has grown to 27,000 libraries and schools in 36 countries, providing tremendous discovery opportunities for readers around the world,” said Claudia Weissman, VP of International Sales at OverDrive. “Awareness and engagement with local libraries and schools has skyrocketed as eBook and audiobook circulation continues to reach new milestones each month.”

Joining the international OverDrive network in 2013 are booksellers in Malaysia, Turkey, Iceland, India, Indonesia, Canada, Germany, Norway and Taiwan. The most recent addition was Big W (ebooks.bigw.com.au), one of the largest brick-and-mortar department store chains in Australia. This is Big W’s first time offering eBooks to customers.

In addition, OverDrive added school and public library partners such as Singapore American School, Cairo American College, Hong Kong International School, Qatar National Library, and National Library and Information System Authority (Trinidad and Tobago). The company has also added more than 100 publishers from 18 nations, including Hardie Grant Publishing (Australia), Xinjiang Juvenile Publishing House (China), Scottish Book Source Limited (U.K.), TED Books (U.S.), and Penguin eBooks from the newly-formed Penguin Random House.

t the 2013 Beijing International Book Fair in August, OverDrive announced its eBook import license for China, which will enable the sale and distribution of digital content into that growing market.

OverDrive’s international and domestic library websites now support multiple language user interfaces. As an example, Los Angeles Public Library (lapl.lib.overdrive.com) offers its digital catalog in English, Spanish and Chinese, and features on its home page Chinese, Korean and Russian eBooks. The company’s catalog for libraries and schools, now called OverDrive Marketplace, provides eBooks and audiobooks in 64 languages.

Later this year, OverDrive will introduce its streaming video service, with an international collection including theatrical, documentary, children’s and instructional videos in English and non-English languages in all access models for complete publisher flexibility.

Libraries and schools in the OverDrive network throughout the United States and around the world offer vast collections of popular eBooks and audiobooks compatible with all major eReading devices, including iPad®, Nook® and Kindle® (U.S. only). 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 supply a secure lending platform for 27,000 libraries, schools and retailers worldwide with support for all major computers and devices, including iPhone®, iPad®, Nook®, Android™ phones and tablets, and Kindle® (U.S. only).  Recent enhancements to OverDrive’s platform include multilingual user interface support, in-library touchscreen services for browsing and instant sampling of eBooks or audiobooks, and OverDrive Read, the company’s EPUB and HTML5 browser-based reading experience.

OverDrive has been named to the EContent 100 as a company that matters most in the digital content industry and is a member of the 2012 Technology Fast 500. Founded in 1986, OverDrive is based in Cleveland. www.overdrive.com.

Contact:

David Burleigh

OverDrive, Inc.

216-573-6886 x218

dburleigh@overdrive.com

 

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