Shortcovers by Indigo Books & Music, Inc. (TSX:IDG), a leading global eBook service, today announced that 1.8 million additional titles from the Internet Archive will be made available free of charge through the Shortcovers store. This partnership will give Shortcovers users access to Internet Archive’s recently-launched BookServer project on their smartphones, eReaders and desktops.
Internet Archive has a library of 1.8 million public domain classics, academic works, reference materials, and fiction and non-fiction titles. The collection includes works in 180 languages, acquired from over 200 library partners and scanning locations in five countries. Over 1,000 new books are added each day. The partnership reaffirms Shortcovers’ commitment to making eBooks instantly available on the devices consumers already own.
“Internet Archive has performed an incredible service for those who love the written word. It is the Library of Alexandria for the digital age,” said Michael Tamblyn, Vice President of Content, Sales and Merchandising for Shortcovers. “We want to do our part in making these titles available to as many readers as possible all over the world. We believe you can be both passionately engaged in selling books and at the same time committed to openness in the industry.”
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“We are delighted to work with Shortcovers to increase access to over 1.8 million public domain texts in the EPUB format,” said Peter Brantley, the Director of the Internet Archive’s BookServer Project. “The Internet Archive believes that partners strongly committed to the growing eBook market are an important element in our effort to maximize the amount of information available to the widest possible number of people.”
Internet Archive’s library of titles will be added to Shortcovers’ current selection, which includes titles from all top publishers, including Random House, Simon and Schuster, HarperCollins, Hachette, Harlequin, Wiley and Penguin, as well as literary, independent and regional presses. PDF and downloadable EPUB will be available this week, with access via Shortcovers mobile apps soon after.
Currently Shortcovers offers mobile applications for iPhone, Blackberry, Android and Palm Pre, and also provides the service for popular eReaders like the Sony eReader through partnership with Adobe.
