Midwest Tape has struck deals with Simon & Schuster and HarperCollins to distribute physical copies of their frontlist audiobook titles to libraries. In the non-exclusive agreement with both publishers, Midwest will not only distribute physical copies of frontlist audiobooks, but will also manufacture CD editions of audiobooks that have been available only as digital downloads for distribution to libraries. In the program, once it receives a request from a library for a digital-only audio, Midwest will then use its –on-demanding manufacturing capability to produce a copy of the CD.
The agreement with S&S takes effect Jan. 1, while the deal with HC kicks in immediately. For HC, it is the second audiobook distribution deal in a few days; earlier it reached an agreement with Blackstone Audio for Blackstone to also distribute physical copies of digital audiobooks to libraries.
