Simon & Schuster Helps End Short-lived RosettaBooks/iBooks Venture

By Planet eBook Editor
November 8, 2001

Just hours after a joint announcement (see below) by RosettaBooks and iBooks, that the companies had entered into an agreement which would see several RosettaBook eBooks put into print, iBooks' distributor Simon & Schuster said it would not distribute the titles.

According to an AP report, a publishing executive, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said Simon & Schuster's refusal came because it did not want to do business with RosettaBooks. Simon & Schuster, as with the other big publishers, supports Random House's attempts to own electronic distribution rights.

Earlier this year Random House filed suit against RosettaBooks alleging that Random House owns exclusive rights to the titles (by William Styron, Kurt Vonnegut and Robert Parker), which RosettaBooks had recently acquired electronic rights over and had begun to sell.

RosettaBooks argued that Random House did not have rights over eBooks because there were fundamental differences between the two forms. The range of features differed as the eBook reading experience includes things like navigational aids (such as bookmarks and links), searchability, customization of the interface including annotations and font size displayed.

The judge's preliminary injunction opens the door wide open for the electronic rights of thousands of books, potentially affecting Random House's 20,000+ backlist of titles, as well as hundreds of thousands of titles from other publishers.

Press Release

RosettaBooks and iBook Create New Print Publishing Program, RosettaBooks/iBooks

November 7, 2001

New York, NY—The pioneering publisher of eBooks, RosettaBooks, and iBooks, a publishing company distributed by Simon and Schuster, today announced the establishment of a joint venture to publish adult print books in the newly created RosettaBooks/iBooks publishing program. Formed to extend the commercial life of classic titles that deserve to find new audiences, the program will launch with Midnight Cowboy by James Leo Herlihy, William P. McGivern’s The Big Heat, as well as High Sierra and The Asphalt Jungle, both from author W.R. Burnett.

"This is the exciting start of a long-term commitment on the part of RosettaBooks and iBooks to support a shared vision," stated Arthur Klebanoff, CEO of RosettaBooks. "We are proud to join Byron Preiss and Roger Cooper of iBooks, who have long been publishing innovators, to offer readers the chance to enjoy timeless masterpieces in physical form."

"Byron and I are pleased to enter into this new relationship with RosettaBooks, which has broken new ground in building relationships with authors and their agents in the creation of its e-book publishing program," stated Roger Cooper, Director of New Business Development for iBooks. "The titles we have chosen and will acquire for the publishing program have fallen off the radar screens of the traditional large publishers, and will benefit from a coherent publishing strategy."

RosettaBooks/iBooks believes it can take advantage of a dynamic and creative cross-merchandizing that has not yet been fully utilized by other trade publishers. "iBooks now publishes more than seventy books a year in category areas that mesh very well with Rosetta’s editorial vision. We feel we can build a presence for the RosettaBooks/iBooks brand in bookstores that will be enhanced by the availability of RosettaBooks online," said Roger Cooper.

The print titles will be branded RosettaBooks/iBooks and will be published as part of the iBooks publishing program, which is distributed by Simon and Schuster in the United States and Simon and Schuster UK in the British Commonwealth.

About ibooks

Established in 1999 by company president Byron Preiss, iBooks was the first trade publisher to simultaneously publish titles in e-book and print formats. Current iBook authors and brands include Arthur C. Clarke, Lou Dobbs, Isaac Asimov, Yahoo, Scientific American, American Heritage, and Primedia magazines.

About RosettaBooks

RosettaBooks is the leading electronic publisher dedicated exclusively to great books of the 20th century. Acommitted e-publisher, RosettaBooks maximizes the resources of the Internet in opening a fresh dimension in the reading experience. RosettaBooks distributes titles through all commercially viable channels, including e-book retailers, promotional web sites, focused educational channels, and the company’s own web site. All titles are available in a variety of formats. The Rosetta eBooks list includes Slaughterhouse Five by Kurt Vonnegut, The Puppet Masters by Robert Heinlein, 1984 by George Orwell and Sophie’s Choice by William Styron. ibooks