Penguin goes digital

Publisher throws its weight behind e-books...

Penguin, the Pearson-owned book publisher, has taken the high-tech plunge and will launch 200 titles as e-books in September. Bookworms will be able to download the latest offerings from Penguin's website, as well as classics from Dickens and Austen, city Rough Guides and children's novels, straight to a PDA or Laptop. Sam Evans, e-book publicist at Penguin, said: "No publisher is expecting significant sales right from the word go. E-books are still in development. We're going to be involved from the outset, to help evolve the market." Evans hoped exclusive e-book features including hidden extras such as authors' after words, essays, and background, much like a DVD special features, would help boost sales. Research from Andersen Consulting (now Accenture) last January said the electronic book market was poised for rapid growth and will capture 10 per cent of the global publishing market by 2005. For related news see:
E-books to take publishing industry by storm
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