Simon & Schuster Unveils Internal E-galley System
By Rachel Deahl -- Publishers Weekly, 11/4/2009 8:01:00 AM
Simon & Schuster has unveiled an e-galley program to provide digital ARCs to the media. Galley Grab, which is still in beta at www.galleygrab.com, offers DRM protected downloads of S&S titles that can be read on various e-readers, including the Sony eReader and the Nook.
Offered as an alternative to physical galleys, the program will not replace the old system but augment it. S&S executive v-p and chief digital officer Ellie Hirschhorn said: “Galley Grab is a convenient, cost-effective, and environmentally friendly way to promote our upcoming titles, and not least, help us to expand the universe of those who can now have the chance to read our books before publication.”
Publishers have been slowly converting to digital galley distribution models. In 2008 NetGalley, now owned by Firebrand Technologies, was unveiled at BEA, and the service has approximately 40 publishers, including Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, O'Reilly Media, and Rodale.
When asked why S&S opted to handle its own digital galleys, a spokesperson from S&S said the company felt it could do it best. To use GalleyGrab, media sources must register—a process required only once—to then access a galley using a link provided to them. The link becomes invalid on the book's publication date. First title available in the program is The Story of Stuff, Annie Leonard's environmental call to arms.
