OverDrive to Present EPUB eBook Lessons Learned at Frankfurt Book Fair

FRANKFURT, GERMANY--(Marketwire - October 15, 2008) - Global digital distributor OverDrive (www.overdrive.com) will join Sony Reader, Random House UK, and the International Digital Publishing Forum (IDPF) to present initial experiences with EPUB eBook distribution at the Frankfurt Book Fair. The session titled "Digital Publishing and the EPUB Standard" is part of the Frankfurt Book Fair Digital Lunch program and takes place at noon on Thursday, Oct. 16 in Hall 4C - Alliance Room.

As a 20-year veteran of the eBook marketplace and early advocate of the EPUB format, OverDrive brings its unique perspective of working with publishers, booksellers, end users, and hardware and software developers to the panel. OverDrive is the first distributor to provide EPUB eBook fulfillment services for online retailers including Waterstone's (www.waterstones.com), WHSmith Online (www.whsmith.co.uk), Books on Board (www.booksonboard.com), A1Books (www.a1books.co.in), and others. OverDrive also expects to offer EPUB eBooks to its network of more than 8,500 public libraries in the near future.

EPUB is a reflowable, XML-based format for eBooks and other digital publications developed by IDPF (www.idpf.org) and adopted by leading publishers and technology firms as the industry standard. OverDrive will release a white paper on preparing and distributing EPUB titles and optimizing files for the Sony Reader Digital Book later this month. Publishers can send requests for the EPUB white paper to EPUB@overdrive.com.

"The launch of Adobe Digital Editions and the Sony Reader Digital Book with EPUB-reading capabilities provide great opportunities for participating in the digital marketplace," said Steve Potash, president and CEO of OverDrive. "OverDrive's global distribution network and expansive catalog of digital audiobooks, eBooks, music, and video is enabling channels for publishers adopting the emerging EPUB format."

OverDrive is distributing eBooks in the EPUB format for some of the largest trade publishers including Simon & Schuster, Hachette Livre, HarperCollins, Harlequin, Penguin Group, Random House, Summersdale Publishers, Macmillan Publishers, Oxford University Press, Cambridge University Press, Taylor & Francis, Faber & Faber and Bloomsbury Publishers.

OverDrive provides digital download distribution for hundreds of publishers and e-retail solutions for Borders.com, eFollett.com, Papyless (Japan), hundreds of college bookstores, and other online retailers. It is the co-developer and operator of ADEPT, the hosted application service designed to protect digital publications, including those in the EPUB format, for use with Adobe Digital Editions. OverDrive is also a strategic partner to Microsoft (including Microsoft Reader eBook distribution), Mobipocket, and other leading technology firms.

OverDrive also powers download media catalogs at thousands of libraries worldwide, including institutions in New York, Singapore, Boston, and Toronto. To see if your public library is a member of the OverDrive network, visit http://search.overdrive.com.

About OverDrive

OverDrive is a leading full-service digital distributor of eBooks, audiobooks, music, and video. We deliver secure management, DRM protection, and download fulfillment services for hundreds of publishers and thousands of libraries, schools, retailers, and aggregators serving millions of end users. Founded in 1986, OverDrive is based in Cleveland, OH. www.overdrive.com

Contact Information: Contacts: David Burleigh OverDrive, Inc. 216-573-6886 x218