OverDrive Adds More Than 200 New Publishers to Global eBook Catalog for Schools and Libraries

CLEVELAND, OH--(Marketwired - Oct 8, 2014) - OverDrive, the leading platform for eBooks, audiobooks and streaming video to libraries and schools, announced today that more than 200 publishers have joined the company's network in 2014, 64 of which represent partners outside of North America. Now offering content in 40 languages in more than 50 countries, OverDrive continues to grow its global footprint and expand and diversify its catalog of more than 2.5 million in-copyright digital titles.

Earlier this year OverDrive and MediaDo formed a strategic alliance to extend the OverDrive global eBook catalog into the Japanese market, as well as make popular and bestselling Japanese content available to OverDrive's worldwide network of 30,000 libraries and schools. Through this agreement, Japanese Manga titles, including Arpeggio of Blue Steel, are now live at pilot libraries in the U.S. Initial publishers available through MediaDo include LEED, Group Zero Ltd., Shonen-gahosha, Kaoru tada/minato-pro, M'z-plan, and Thirdline.

This year alone, OverDrive expanded their global network with 127 newly-added international library and school partners in 24 countries. As a result, OverDrive is now supplying eBooks, audiobooks and streaming video to libraries and schools in Egypt, Indonesia, Malaysia, China, Philippines, India, Qatar, South Africa, Saudi Arabia, South Korea, Hungary, Australia, Thailand, U.K., and Columbia, among others, and serving millions of readers and students. New partners such as De La Salle Santiago Zobel School (Phillipines), Dainfern College (South Africa), Baja Libros (Uruguay), and National Taiwan Normal University (Taiwan) have all launched digital books services with OverDrive in 2014. In support of global diverse communities, libraries and schools partnering with OverDrive are able to integrate a complete non-English user interface to search, browse and borrow titles.

"Our continued success with international markets and our expansion of non-English eBooks from publishers around the world are accelerating eBook sales worldwide," said Alexis Petric-Black, manager of Publisher Account Services at OverDrive. "Providing diverse distribution channels in key markets for publishers on the most popular service for libraries and schools helps connects readers with eBooks, authors, and publishers and creates a profitable and efficient global sales channels for publishers and authors." 

Publishers and aggregators such as RCS Group, Libranda, and Zebralution are selling thousands of Italian, Spanish, French and German titles through the OverDrive catalog from authors such as Timur Vermes, Phillip Müller, Dan Brown and Ken Follet. OverDrive's catalog of popular English-language titles are also expanding globally, with Simon & Schuster eBooks now available to Australia and New Zealand public libraries, and HarperCollins becoming available to U.K. libraries and schools earlier this year.

Using open industry standards, OverDrive Read's HTML5 browser-based technology launched support for fixed-layout EPUB3 eBooks earlier this year, allowing illustrated titles for children and adults to be displayed with two-page views. Thousands of titles are now available in fixed-layout and represent an increasing share of sales. Support for audio narration within an EPUB (audio-sync-text) is coming later this year.

About OverDrive
OverDrive is the leading global digital distribution platform, supplying the industry's largest catalog of eBooks, audiobooks, music and streaming video to 30,000 libraries, schools and retailers worldwide. With the top rated eBook & audiobook app for libraries and schools and OverDrive Read, the EPUB and HTML5 browser-based reading experience, we support all major computers and devices, including iOS, Android™ and Kindle® (U.S. only). OverDrive delivers all digital media on a single platform, and offers APIs to streamline a seamless user experience. Recent innovations include in-library touchscreen stations for browsing and instant sampling, multi-lingual user interface, and eReading Rooms for kids and teens. Founded in 1986, OverDrive is based in Cleveland, Ohio USA. www.overdrive.com