Press Release: Bookmate Pens Deal with HarperCollins Adding English Language Ebooks to Its Service
9th October 2014: Bookmate, the subscription based social e-reading service, has today announced an agreement with HarperCollins Publishers, the second largest consumer book publisher in the world, to launch its first English language ebook selection.
The agreement with HarperCollins will enable Bookmate to offer more books on its e-reading service. Books by hundreds of authors, including CS Lewis are included in the deal.
The agreement follows the recent launch of Bookmate's new iOS and Android apps. Bookmate currently offers more than half a million titles to 1.5 million active readers who use the service. On opening the app, users on average spend 54 minutes a day reading ebooks.
Simon Dunlop, founder of Bookmate, commented: "This is a big moment for Bookmate. Our users get access to thousands of great new ebooks in English and the recent partnership we have signed is a massive vote of confidence from the publishing industry."
Chantal Restivo-Alessi, Chief Digital Officer at HarperCollins commented: "We're excited to partner with Bookmate. The social aspects of Bookmate are very compelling and offer readers a new way to enjoy ebooks."
Bookmate is an open platform connecting publishers and readers directly. This means that authors listed on Bookmate are able to discover who is reading their book and access analytics which can aid their own promotion and marketing efforts. Bookmate operates on a subscription-based business model, allowing users to gain unrestricted access to a vast library of ebooks and a range of social features. Users do not need a separate e-reading device as they can use Bookmate on their smartphones or tablets.
Bookmate's new app features include a social feed which will allow users to follow their friends, favourite authors and celebrities on Bookmate, while also sharing their favourite books and passages. Users can also use the app to share books via Facebook, Twitter and Russian social network VKontakte.
