Simon & Schuster and OverDrive in Pilot to Bring eBooks to Public Libraries

NEW YORK, NY and CLEVELAND, OH--(Marketwired - Jan 16, 2014) -   Simon & Schuster, a global leader in general interest publishing, and OverDrive, the premier eBook distributor for libraries, today announced a pilot launch of the Simon & Schuster eBook catalog for select OverDrive partner public libraries in the United States. Simon & Schuster's full catalog of eBook titles are available for pilot libraries to purchase for lending to their readers, or for readers to purchase through their library's website with the new Library BIN (Buy It Now) option.

In an expansion of its existing eBook library pilot program, Simon & Schuster has selected 31 public libraries in the OverDrive network to participate. The pilot program provides access to Simon & Schuster titles such as Dr. Sleep by Stephen King, Steve Jobs by Walter Isaacson, The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald, The Bully Pulpit by Doris Kearns Goodwin, The Light Between Oceans by M.L. Stedman and many more. Other notable authors now available to library patrons include Glenn Beck, Cassandra Clare, Kresley Cole, Rachel Renée Russell and Brad Thor.

As part of Simon & Schuster's and OverDrive's pilot, each eBook purchased for lending can be checked out an unlimited number of times on a one copy/one user basis for a period of 12 months. Alternately, patrons can purchase the eBook from the library website and support their local libraries. Simon & Schuster's full catalog of frontlist and backlist titles is eligible for the program, with all new titles available simultaneous with publication. 

"We are pleased to expand our eBook distribution in libraries through this pilot with OverDrive," said Doug Stambaugh, Vice President, Global eBook Market Development and Strategy for Simon & Schuster. "We look forward to providing access to our titles to many more thousands of avid readers, and furthering our understanding of lending patterns and patron behavior with eBooks through this wider test of a new library model."

Simon & Schuster publishes approximately 2,000 titles annually. Their books regularly top bestseller lists nationwide, draw media attention and critical acclaim, and are winners of prestigious awards including the Pulitzer Prize, the National Book Award, the National Book Critics Circle Award, and Caldecott and Newbery Medals.

With the addition of Simon & Schuster titles to its catalog, OverDrive now distributes titles from all of the major trade publishers to its partners. This is an important step in the company's mission to bring the most comprehensive, high-quality digital content to end users.

"We are thrilled to partner with Simon & Schuster to add their distinguished and diverse catalog to our offerings," said Erica Lazzaro, General Counsel and Director of Publisher Services at OverDrive. "These are titles that readers are asking for, and through this agreement, readers now can borrow them or purchase them through their public library."

About Simon & Schuster
Simon & Schuster, a part of CBS Corporation, is a global leader in the field of general interest publishing, dedicated to providing the best in fiction and nonfiction for consumers of all ages, across all printed, electronic, and audio formats. Its divisions include Simon & Schuster Adult Publishing, Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing, Simon & Schuster Audio, Simon & Schuster Digital, and international companies in Australia, Canada, India and the United Kingdom. For more information, visit our website at http://www.simonandschuster.com

About OverDrive
OverDrive is a leading multichannel digital distributor of eBooks, audiobooks, music and video. We supply a secure lending platform for 28,000 libraries, schools and retailers worldwide with support for all major computers and devices, including iPhone®, iPad®, Nook®, Android™ phones and tablets, and Kindle® (U.S. only). Recent enhancements to OverDrive's platform include multilingual user interface support, Streaming Video, in-library touchscreen stations for browsing and instant sampling of eBooks or audiobooks, and OverDrive Read, the company's EPUB and HTML5 browser-based reading experience.

OverDrive has been named to the EContent 100 as a company that matters most in the digital content industry and is a member of the 2012 Technology Fast 500. Founded in 1986, OverDrive is based in Cleveland. www.overdrive.com.