World Book Launches New E-book Platform

CHICAGO, Sept. 17, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- World Book, Inc., a leading publisher of digital and print educational products--including World Book Online, comprising over 20 digital educational and reference products, and The World Book Encyclopedia--is making many of its popular educational titles available in e-book format and accessible through a unique interactive platform, World Book eBooks.

The e-book collection includes beautifully illustrated, engaging titles that contain such multimedia features as videos, audio, and games. Subscribers to World Book eBooks receive 24/7 unlimited simultaneous access to the entire collection, enabling school librarians and public librarians to offer World Book eBooks at all times to all users­––no holds or waiting. An "early adopter" subscription includes updates and revisions to e-books, as well as all new titles that are added to the site during their subscription.

The Fall 2013 collection offers curriculum-correlated titles from several series, including Animal Lives, Building Blocks of Mathematics, Building Blocks of Science, Early Peoples, Explore the Universe, Inventions and Discoveries, Learning Ladders, Living Green, and Trek's Travels, with new titles to be uploaded to the site on an ongoing basis. Subscribers will read the e-books using World Book's customized online viewer.

The platform may be accessed from any Internet-ready computer, as well as such popular tablets as the iPad®, Google Nexus 7™, and Samsung: Galaxy Note® 10.1, and Samsung: Galaxy Note® 2 10.1. All titles support the EPUB3 standard, the accepted global distribution format for e-books developed by the International Digital Publishing Forum.

"The launch of our e-book platform is a necessary and exciting expansion of our current format offerings," says World Book, Inc. President Don Keller. "Our users increasingly require access to information in digital form that can be conveniently viewed on various devices.  World Book is meeting these needs by significantly broadening accessibility to our content while continuing to create trustworthy, quality educational products that are fun and engaging for readers—and in the format they want."

World Book's e-book platform includes a customized online viewer that provides an optimal reading experience for students of all ages. "Our e-books are not just digital replicas of the print books," says World Book's Digital Products Manager, Cassie Mayer. "We've created the platform to be a comprehensive classroom and library tool, just like all World Book digital products. The e-books are fun, colorful, and interactive, and the site will connect readers to other titles that may interest them through our 'World Book Recommends' feature."

E-book usage in the U.S. has skyrocketed in recent years as more affordable tablets and e-readers have become available. With the rise in popularity of e-books, schools and libraries have worked to meet the unprecedented demand by expanding their collections.

In developing its e-book platform, World Book surveyed students, teachers, parents, librarians, and library patrons to determine what such users want and expect from e-books. World Book applied this feedback in designing the World Book eBooks platform to help ensure its utility and appeal.

World Book will offer its e-book suite as a subscription. Schools and libraries that sign up during the initial launch will receive an early adopter discount. Visit the website at http://bit.ly/worldbookebooks.

ABOUT WORLD BOOK

World Book, Inc. sets the standard in publishing accurate, current, and reliable reference and learning materials for children and adults. Based in Chicago, World Book is committed to creating educational products in digital and print forms that meet the highest standards of editorial excellence. This commitment has resulted in a wide range of products, including the quintessential World Book Encyclopedia and World Book Online--a comprehensive and authoritative solution meeting the diverse information needs of students, educators, public library patrons, and families. Visit World Book's website at www.worldbook.com.

For more information contact:
World Book Marketing Dep't
Annie Suhy
Phone: 312-819-6518
Email: [email protected]
Website: www.worldbook.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/WorldBook
Twitter: @worldbookinc

SOURCE World Book, Inc.