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Over Drive Announces New Ebook Services for 2010

OverDrive, Inc. (www.overdrive.com), a distributor of ebooks and audiobooks for libraries and retailers, announced new services that will significantly expand its digital distribution network for copyrighted digital media. New digital book formats, streaming content services, and title discovery and fulfillment enhancements will be available in 2010, which will help OverDrive's publishing partners, retailers, and libraries capitalize on accelerating market demand.

During 2009, OverDrive achieved its fifth consecutive year of double-digit growth and profitability by adding hundreds of retail, library, corporate, and school outlets for more than 1,000 publishers' copyrighted ebooks, audiobooks, music, and video in more than a dozen countries. Building on this momentum, OverDrive will introduce new services for 2010, including the following:

• Content Reserve Plus: OverDrive's global distribution platform will integrate third-party digital catalogs to add their ebooks, databases, music, video, and enhanced multimedia content to OverDrive's network of retail and institutional accounts. In March, OverDrive will demonstrate interactive educational ebook products including "read aloud" features and DRM-free ebooks in Open EPUB and Open PDF formats at the Public Library Association National Conference in Portland, Ore. OverDrive is now in negotiation with rightsholders of databases, periodicals, newspapers, music by the track, HD and mobile streaming video, and reader apps to add their content to OverDrive's current catalog of more than 450,000 copyrighted digital titles.
• OverDrive Catalog Apps: OverDrive catalog apps, REST APIs, web services, RSS, and other tools utilizing XML and open standards will enable mobile app developers and wireless devices to directly manage ebookselling, catalog access, discovery, and ecommerce support for customers of digital books directly from OverDrive-powered retail ebookstores, library catalogs, and other digital collections.
• OverDrive MIDAS 2.0 and eBook Category & Customer Management (ECCM): OverDrive's ecommerce bookstore platform, MIDAS, is enhancing its subscription and continuity sales services to include ebook clubs, metered content sales, and new customer retention and loyalty programs, for its multinational, multilanguage, and multicurrency platform.
• OverDrive Reciprocal: OverDrive's consolidated bookshelf service will provide readers a single location for access, preferences, permission-based contact from publishers and authors across numerous ebook formats, audiobooks, interactive titles, subscriptions, and suppliers of premium media. Reciprocal will provide single sign-on (SSO) ecommerce and membership card support to dozens of ebookstores, libraries, and user accounts.
• OverDrive First Gear: Enhanced DRM-free ebook and audiobook excerpts for streaming or offline reading with direct "buy-it-now" options and coupons dynamically customized into each title. First Gear will also be able to connect readers with retailers, publisher and author websites, and fan communities.
• OverDrive Dashboard: A series of desktop and mobile apps that provide publishers, booksellers, librarians, and readers with valuable information, including real-time statistics and charts for their catalogs and collections.
• OverDrive Digital Kiosk & Library eBook Devices: OverDrive will release the next version of its OverDrive Download Station software, which provides direct access to ebooks and other popular media inside hundreds of schools and libraries. OverDrive is also working with several PC, tablet, netbook, and e-reader device manufacturers who will introduce products specifically designed for use in schools, libraries, and institutions to access OverDrive catalogs of ebooks, audiobooks, music, video, and enhanced content.

Source: OverDrive, Inc.