NetLibrary signs agreement to distribute titles from Penguin

DUBLIN, Ohio, USA,  16 September 2004—NetLibrary, a leading provider of eBooks to libraries worldwide, has signed a distribution agreement with Penguin Group (USA), an affiliate of Penguin Group, the world’s second-largest English-language trade book publisher.

Upcoming NetLibrary releases include hundreds of Penguin best-selling frontlist and classic titles such as “Pride and Prejudice,” by Jane Austen; “Angel of Death,” by Jack Higgins; “The Hanged Man’s Song,” by John Sandford; and “Eats, Shoots and Leaves: The Zero Tolerance Approach to Punctuation,” by Lynn Truss.

“We are very excited to be working with NetLibrary,” said Peter McCarthy, Vice President, Executive Director, Penguin Group (USA) Online.  “Getting the works of our authors to readers everywhere—regardless of what format is used to do so—is core to Penguin’s mission.  We believe NetLibrary has the perfect mix in an eBook partner:  a long-standing understanding of their customers, great relationships, solid technology, and a fundamental understanding of, and respect for, publishing.”

Penguin Group (USA) publishes under some of the most prominent and most respected imprints and trademarks in American publishing, including Berkley Books, New American Library, Penguin, G. P. Putnam’s Sons, and Viking.  Penguin’s roster of best-selling authors includes Patricia Cornwell, Nick Hornby, Eric Jerome Dickey, Stephen King, Amy Tan, Al Franken, Catherine Coulter and hundreds of others.  In the first half of 2004 alone, Penguin had a total of 75 titles included in the New York Times best-seller list and established an industry benchmark in May by capturing 40 percent of the Times hardcover non-fiction bestseller list.

“Penguin Group has one of the world’s most prestigious lists of best-selling authors and a backlist of unparalleled quality,” said Rich Rosy, Corporate Vice President of NetLibrary, which is part of OCLC Online Computer Library Center.  “Penguin’s catalog of award winning, best-selling and classic titles will be an outstanding addition to our eBook collection and significantly enhances our ability to provide libraries with the compelling content they need to serve a growing and diverse online patron base.”

In addition to selecting from a burgeoning list of best-selling frontlist titles, libraries will be able to take advantage of the Penguin Group’s extensive backlist of titles from the Penguin Classics series.  The largest collection of ancient and modern classic literature in the English-speaking world, Penguin Classics include a vast array of fiction, nonfiction, drama and poetry based on definitive texts.

Also available to libraries will be a complete collection of the popular “Complete Idiots” guides, which includes best-selling how-to guides such as “The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Learning Spanish 3rd Edition,” “The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Understanding Catholicism 2nd Edition,” “The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Buying and Selling a Home 3rd Edition,” and many more.

For more information about Penguin Group (USA) titles available through netLibrary, contact a netLibrary representative by sending email to sales@netlibrary.com.

About Penguin Group (USA)

Penguin Group (USA) Inc. is the U.S. member of the internationally renowned Penguin Group.  Penguin Group (USA) is one of the leading U.S. adult and children’s trade book publishers, owning a wide range of imprints and trademarks, including Berkley Books, Dutton, Frederick Warne, G.P. Putnam’s Sons, Grosset & Dunlap, New American Library, Penguin Books, The Penguin Press, Philomel, Plume, Puffin, Riverhead Books and Viking, among others. The Penguin Group (http://www.penguin.com) is part of Pearson plc, the international media company.

About OCLC

Headquartered in Dublin, Ohio, OCLC Online Computer Library Center is a nonprofit organization that has provided computer-based cataloging, reference, resource sharing and preservation services to 50,000 libraries in 84 countries and territories.  For more information, visit <www.oclc.org>.

Find out more about OCLC

FirstSearch, OCLC and WorldCat are trademarks/service marks of OCLC Online Computer Library Center, Inc. Third-party product, service and business names are trademarks and/or service marks of their respective owners.