| RosettaBooks, LLC has announced that it's offering Agatha Christie's
classic mystery And Then There Were None in a special time-based
permit edition. Released in conjunction with network publishing software
provider Adobe Systems, Inc. and digital distribution services provider
Reciprocal, Inc., the e-book is available for download at http://www.rosettabooks.com
in a promotional "$1 for 10 hours of reading" campaign. Once downloaded,
the e-book can be read for 10 hours, after which the book's time-based
permit will expire and the content will no longer be available. According
to the announcement, the publication of the self-destructing e-book demonstrates
technology that could revolutionize the publishing industry and help jump-start
the nascent e-book market.
Reciprocal will process the financial transaction and issue a digital
permit enabling the reader to access the title via the Adobe Acrobat eBook
Reader. A reader can access the e-book as often as desired for a cumulative
total of 10 hours—more than enough time to read the 275-page mystery, according
to the announcement. After 10 hours, the reader has the option of renewing
it or purchasing a "permanent" electronic edition for $4.99. The permit
prohibits the printing of an e-book. According to the announcement, this
technology offers retailers and consumers flexible pricing and purchasing
options that could transform commercial transactions in the publishing
industry.
Susan Altman Prescott, Adobe's vice president of marketing for cross-media
publishing, said: "Timed e-books offered in Adobe PDF open a number of
innovative ways for publishers to market and sell books. For example, they
offer a cost-effective way to distribute review copies and bound galleys
with the layout, fonts, and graphics intact."
"Reciprocal has implemented successful timed-out licenses for our music
customers, and we're excited with the opportunity of this model to deliver
real value for the publishing community and other industries," said John
Schwarz, Reciprocal's president and CEO. "We're pleased to be working with
RosettaBooks and Adobe on this innovative campaign, as it demonstrates
our commitment to build the digital distribution market for our customers
as well as consumers."
Source: RosettaBooks, LLC, New York, 212/751-4545; http://www.rosettabooks.com. |
