MAIN NEWS HEADLINES
April 16 – April 23, 2009 Edition
Baker & Taylor to Help Publishers
Manage Digital Content
CHARLOTTE, NC/Authorlink News/04/16/09–Baker & Taylor, Inc., the world’s largest distributor of books and entertainment products, this week announced a long-term agreement with LibreDigital to develop a content distribution system for publishers to help them manage content distribution in multiple formats, to numerous digital devices and merchandising channels worldwide. LibreDigital is the leading provider of conversion, storage and secure distribution for digital content through digital stores and eBook devices.
“Baker & Taylor continues to invest in its digital media distribution platform,” said Tom Morgan, CEO of Baker & Taylor. “This partnership, along with others to come, strengthens Baker & Taylor’s leadership position as the premier distributor of physical and digital media for our content providers and the customers we serve worldwide.”
This partnership creates a Baker & Taylor digital warehouse, from which the company will offer publisher services to include asset management, format transformation, marketing services, and customized channel distribution.
“The demand for eBooks and other digital content is growing exponentially as consumers rapidly adopt new digital devices,” said Russell P. Reeder, President and CEO of LibreDigital. “Together with Baker & Taylor, we can quickly deliver a huge portfolio of published works to a broad range of distribution channels, which is a big win for content-hungry digital consumers.”
Baker & Taylor also launched its new Digital Media Services group, to better support the escalating demand from its publishers and clients for bundled physical and digital media distribution services.
“The Digital Media Services group will help publishers execute an integrated merchandising strategy to deliver their content in multiple formats to multiple devices worldwide,” said Bob Nelson, EVP Global Business Development, who will lead the group. “Baker & Taylor is uniquely positioned to monetize publishers’ physical and digital content through its extensive client base and other distribution channels.”
Baker & Taylor, Inc. (www.btol.com) is a global information and entertainment services company that offers books, videos, music, games and services to libraries, educational institutions, and retailers. Based in
Charlotte, N.C., the company has been in existence for over 180 years, developing long-term relationships with major suppliers, including book publishers, movie studios, and music labels. Baker & Taylor maintains one of the largest combined in-stock book, video and music inventories in the United States, and services the broadest customer base in the industry. Baker & Taylor is majority owned by Castle Harlan Partners IV, L.P., a leading private equity investment firm.
LibreDigital is a Digital Media Services company that provides conversion, storage and secured distribution for digital content through digital stores and new eBook devices worldwide. Helping publishers of newspapers, magazines, books and journals to market and control their valuable works across traditional and new digital formats, LibreDigital serves the world’s top firms in over 120 countries including HarperCollins Publishers, Hachette USA, The Wall Street Journal, USA Today, John Wiley & Sons and Simon & Schuster. Backed by Adams Capital Management, Noro-Moseley Partners, the New
York Times Company, and HarperCollins Publishers, LibreDigital is based in Austin, Texas, with offices in New York City and the United Kingdom. www.libredigital.com
