Tuesday, December 12, 2006

BookSense to go Digital

BookSense.com the American Booksellers Association Internet bookstore program has signed an agreement with the new Ingram Digital Ventures to enable its participating bookstores to sell ebooks in three formats; Palm, Adobe, and Microsoft. This new feature will begin ‘sometime in 2007’ but must be seen as both a major move by the ABA to engage publishers in selling through the existing channel and a significant coup for Ingram’s Digital Venture division.

BookSense.com is reported as being “particularly happy …as this also positions us to participate in the Caravan Project."

The Caravan Project, which is scheduled to launch in early 2007, is aimed at providing in its initial launch, books from six nonprofit publishers. These titles will be available in traditional hardcover and paperback and also as ebooks and audiobooks. The digital books will be both available for download, in their entirety or in chapters.

The move to make digital impressions available alongside physical ones through the existing channel should be applauded. It is what the BA digital report advocated and will enable the existing channel to participate in this Brave New World. However, the comment on the Caravan project is somewhat confusing as it mixes social and commercial publishing. Does Booksense want to promote the social model and if so, how will it square this with the commercial needs of their participating bookstores?

source http://news.bookweb.org/4902.html

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