Swine Flu Leads to Wiley E-book
by Michael Coffey -- Publishers Weekly, 10/12/2009
In response to the H1N1 (swine flu) pandemic, John Wiley is publishing its first-ever e-book–only trade title. Swine-Flu: The New Pandemic by Marc Siegel, M.D., will be available later this month, priced at $6.99.
According to Thomas Miller, executive editor, general interest books at Wiley, “We thought the time was right to publish a short book that included the most important information a reader needs to know by a trusted medical authority with access to the latest research and developments.” Wiley has published other exclusive original e-books, but this is the first digital-only book in its general interest publishing program, according to Miller.
Dr. Siegel, an internist and NYU professor, is a Fox News medical correspondent, a frequent columnist in the Washington Post and the New York Daily News, as well as author of Bird Flu and False Alarm: The Truth About Epidemics (both from Wiley). The e-book format, noted Miller, has allowed Siegel to keep up with the almost daily updates from the CDC and other sources. “It's much more efficient and economical to do this kind of last-minute revising for an e-book than for a printed book,” Miller said.
