Book News

5/17/13

Hachette to Sell E-Books to Libraries

Hachette Book Group made all of its e-books available for sale to nonprofit public and school libraries in the United States on May 8. E-books will be released at the same time as print editions and sold for an unlimited number of single-user-at-a-time circulations.

5/10/13

Wiley Sells General Interest Assets to Turner

John Wiley & Sons has sold its pets, crafts, and general interest consumer publishing titles to Turner Publishing. Turner acquired the digital and print assets of approximately 1,500 Wiley titles. Wiley sold its travel assets to Google and its cookbook, CliffsNotes, and Webster’s New World Dictionary program to Houghton Mifflin Harcourt last year.

In a related transaction, Google sold the Frommer brand of travel guidebooks acquired from Wiley to original publisher Arthur Frommer, who intends to resume publishing the line. Frommer started the travel guidebook enterprise in 1957 and sold it to Simon & Schuster in 1971.

5/3/13

HMH Acquires Stake in SchoolChapters

Houghton Mifflin Harcourt has acquired 25% of SchoolChapters Inc., a provider of educational standards-based quality management and accreditation services. The SchoolChapters’ service is available online and through mobile apps.

Kumarian Press Bought by Lynne Rienner Publishers

Lynne Rienner Publishers purchased Kumarian Press, an academic imprint of Stylus Publishing, on April 1. All orders for Kumarian titles should be sent to Lynne Rienner Publishers. For information, contact stylusinfo@styluspub.com or kumarian@rienner.com.

4/26/13

Ingram Adds Three Publishers

Ingram Publishers Services is now distributor for LSAC, which administers the Law School Admission Test and publishes LSAT preparation books and law school guides, and also for The Mother Co. and Mandevilla Press.

Pearson Buys Cloud-Based Assessment System

Pearson has acquired Learning Catalytics, a cloud-based assessment system that provides instant feedback to instructors and helps students engage with peers.

4/19/13

Follett to Buy BetterKnow Inc.

Follett Corp. plans to purchase BetterKnow Inc., the cloud-based platform that assembles information on college course materials and provides access for students to purchase online. The acquisition will support Follett’s includED program, which provides course materials as part of tuition or fees.

Pearson Integrates Equella with Echo360

Pearson integrated its Equella digital repository with the learning platform Echo360. Instructors will be able to collect and store lectures, which then can be published into Equella. The system will also detect Echo360 content and references, which can be linked to learning management systems that are integrated with Equella.