Wednesday, September 26, 2007

Harlequin Press Release

On Monday, Harlequin issued a press release, announcing that "they have become the first major publisher to make their complete front-list catalog available in the eBook format. Harlequin releases more [than] 120 titles per month, and their complete list can be found at http://www.harlequinebooks.com."

The press release goes on to remind readers that Harlequin entered the ebook marketplace in October, 2005. "Romance novels have proven to be one of the most popular categories of digital publishing, and Harlequin titles regularly top eBook bestseller lists."

Malle Vallik, Harlequin's Director of Digital Content & Interactivity, is quoted as saying "Women have embraced ebooks...They demand portability, immediacy, availability, depth, breadth and convenience and, by making our entire front list and exclusive digital editorial available to them, we are meeting that challenge."

Harlequin has awakened to the smell of bacon. Their famous bookclubs will not endure. Why would women agree to receive a half dozen books sight unseen every month when they can download specific books they've selected at their own convenience?

Nice move, Harlequin!!!

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