Hachette Picks LibreDigital to Bulk Up Tech Assets

By Rachel Deahl -- Publishers Weekly, 10/9/2007 6:30:00 AM

Joining the flurry of publishers investing in making more of their content available digitally, Hachette Book Group has signed on with LibreDigital to have the company handle many of its Web applications. LibreDigital, which currently provides a similar service to HarperCollins (and is partially owned by HC) as well as publishers like Bloomsbury and others that the company has yet to disclose, will allow Hachette to offer online browsers more access to its titles through technology like widgets. A public relations spokesperson for LibreDigital, Heidi Johnson, said the technology allows digital access to books in a “true-to-print format... as if you’re holding the book in your hand.” Johnson added that LibreDigital’s services will allow Hachette to maintain security controls over its content and the ability to deliver it to multiple devices, like the iPhone.

The deal was announced today at Frankfurt, and Hachette is calling its new digital search capabilities OpenBook. Maja Thomas, senior v-p of the Hachette Book Group USA digital media, said that the new functionality provided by LibreDigital is “one initiative in our ongoing digital strategy,” which will also entail a future redesign of the publisher’s Web site and upgrades to its digital asset management system.