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From Fatbrain to Mightywords
Steven M. Zeitchik -- 3/20/00
New consumer site is dedicated to selling original e-content



In a repositioning that could have a dramatic effect on authors, publishers and consumers, Fatbrain.com has announced the formation of Mightywords, a separate division dedicated to the publishing and retailing of electronic material. Its goal is to bring to the public all kinds of original "eMatter" in the 10-100 page range, from well-known and unknown authors alike.

Although the site will essentially function as it has under the Fatbrain imprimatur, the company hopes an increased focus on editorial and presentation will draw even more consumers. Fatbrain CEO Chris MacAskill, who will also head up Mightywords, attributed the formation of the new division to unexpected consumer and author interest.

eMatter, a secure downloadable format that uses PDF technology, was launched on Fatbrain in October and has since offered about 7,000 works. Under the new system, existing content will be available on both Fatbrain.com and Mightywords.com, with new content being posted only on Mightywords. For the moment, eMatter will not be available on any other site, and the company stresses its bent is toward "unique" content. The site will be advertised in venues such as the New York Times and the New Yorker.

While Fatbrain lauded the launch as a further development in the e-book field and a perfect complement to traditional publishers' role of releasing full-length books, not everyone in the industry was as enthusiastic. It was revealed last week that Simon & Schuster was irked with Fatbrain over apparent discussions the startup had with Stephen King for exclusive rights to a short story that S&S eventually published. As a result, S&S prevented Fatbrain from selling the story, the only site to experience such a ban. The New York publisher reportedly requested that Fatbrain not negotiate with S&S authors unless it obtains the publisher's permission.

MacAskill said he was perplexed by S&S's reaction. "We [would be] an advertisement for the book. I am in shock," he told PW. But the alleged fracas with S&S points up questions over how a hybrid retailer-publisher like Mightywords fits in to the plans of a pure publisher like S&S, especially in an age when S&S and others are spending heavily on their own Web presence. "This is all so new that it's not clear who's doing what," explained S&S Online publisher Kate Tentler. "We're all trying to figure out what the rules are and how this works."

Mightywords, however, did kick off on Thursday with original content of its own, including essays about the Bill of Rights from a volley of big names--Pete Hamill, Jonathan Kellerman, Doris Kearns Goodwin and others--under the title American Perspectives. Goodwin and Seth Godin (whose material has been available on Fatbrain for several months) are both S&S authors. MacAskill noted that they will continue to be sold on Mightywords, though he admitted that deals with future S&S authors were in question. An original speech from Toni Morrison and a series of short stories from Perri O'Shaughnessy are also in the offing. MacAskill said that despite the famous names, the site encourages unknown authors to sell their work.

In other Fatbrain news, the company reported that sales for its fiscal year ended January 31, 2000, rose 78.3% to $35.3 million, while its net loss deepened to $30.3 million from $9.9 million. Sales through the company's online operations jumped 170% to $28.8 million. Sales generated by Fatbrain's retail stores and through trade shows fell 27.5% to $6.6 million. The company finished the year with more than 245,000 customer accounts; 60.4% of total orders were with repeat customers.

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