HC Makes Digital Investment, Forms Joint Venture

by Jim Milliot, PW Daily -- Publishers Weekly, 1/12/2007

HarperCollins has invested in NewsStand Inc., the company that helped the publisher develop its digital warehouse, and is teaming up with LibreDigital, a division of NewsStand, to offer digital services to other publishers. Brian Murray, HC group president, said the publisher decided to form the venture after receiving many requests from other publishers about the digitizing process. While many publishers have let technology companies (like Google and Amazon) digitize their books, HC began creating the digital warehouse last year as a way to maintain more control over the digital files of its books.

Through the alliance, HarperCollins and LibreDigital will offer publishers end-to-end digital services in discrete, modular segments, including digital typesetting, production, digital warehousing, Internet distribution and online marketing. Publishers can select a combination of HarperCollins proprietary electronic typesetting and digital workflow tools with LibreDigital's proprietary digitization, digital warehousing, and Internet display and distribution technologies. The services will be sold by LibreDigital's worldwide sales force. A HarperCollins spokesperson said the company is in discussions with several publishers about using the services.

As part of HC's investment, Murray will join the NewsStand board.