Scribd Signs Deals with Major Houses

-- Publishers Weekly, 3/18/2009 7:59:00 AM

Scribd, Inc., the “social publishing site” that posts a variety of written documents daily, has signed deals with a number of publishers to post novels, chapters and other content on scribd.com. Among the publishers working with Scribd are the Random House Publishing Group, Simon & Schuster, Workman., Berrett-Koehler, Thomas Nelson and Manning Publications.  

According to the company, more than 50,000 new documents are uploaded daily using Scribd’s iPaper reader, which makes it easy to upload, share and embed original writings and documents. Publishers who have signed on say they see using Scribd as a way to give greater exposure to their titles. Links allow users to buy a book.

“Scribd has quickly become a unique online community where readers of all tastes can go to discover, explore, and share first-rate content,” said Ellie Hirschhorn, executive vice president and chief digital officer of Simon & Schuster. “Its unique approach provides us with the desired flexibility to determine how our content is viewed and used on a case by case basis, and is proving to be an effective tool for creating excitement for our books.”

Scribd has been courting book publishers for months; several newspapers already use Scribd. Some publishers and authors view Scribd warily, fearing that unauthorized content can be posted. Scribd says that taking down unauthorized content is one of its top priorities. For the complete story about Scribd, click here to view PW’s article in the March 2 issue.