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DeGruyter and Harvard University Press just announced a new collaboration.  DeGruyter will serve as a sales partner for HUP’s eBook collection, both front and backlist.  The titles will be available on DeGruyter’s recently released interface which integrates book, journal, and databank content.  More information on the announcement is in the press release at the bottom of this post.  I was able to ask Sven Fund, CEO of DeGruyter, additional questions about the collaboration, to which he responded:

How did this partnership with Harvard come about?

De Gruyter is in regular communication with partners in the industry, of course also with university presses. Talking to Harvard University Press was a great opportunity for us to develop our idea of a cooperation with a premium partner, and we are pleased that it materialized in this way.

Will this be the only way to secure Harvard e-books, (i.e. is this exclusive)?

De Gruyter will distribute Harvard University Press’ electronic content globally to libraries and end customers, and both partners are committed to this partnership.

In the past year, 4 University Press consortia groups have formed to sell eBooks. Do you anticipate growth in your program to include other University Press content?

We see strong interest in partnering with De Gruyter, both from university presses and from non-university publishers. And even if quantity of partners has never been a criterion for De Gruyter, we hope that a cooperation is attractive to other presses as well.

Can libraries purchase the new content title by title, or is a package or subject collection purchase required?

De Gruyter takes pride in offering its electronic content as libraries wish to purchase it: As single titles, as topical packages and certainly in a complete package. Harvard University Press’ titles will be available in exactly the same way. Not to forget edition: Any title ever published by Harvard University Press is now available in our edition program. I am sure this will be of great value for libraries around the world.

Can any of the eBooks be downloaded for offline reading?

Yes, any ebook is available in the ownership model, it can be downloaded, printed and mailed at the patron’s discretion.

Here is the complete text of the press release:

De Gruyter Chosen by Harvard University Press as Sales Partner for its Electronic Content

Transatlantic Agreement Will Extend both Organizations’ International Reach

Berlin, Germany, and Cambridge, Mass., USA, January 05, 2012

Beginning in January, 2012, Harvard University Press will market its entire range of electronic products, including both new books and a back catalogue of more than 10,000 titles, through the Berlin-based independent publishing house De Gruyter, Harvard University Press and De Gruyter announced today.

William P. Sisler, Director of University Press (HUP), said the partnership furthers HUP’s commitment to ensuring its serious nonfiction of the highest quality reaches a diverse and global audience.

“The international reach of De Gruyter’s electronic marketing will enable us to share vital ideas with a widening audience of scholars, students, and general readers across the globe—our mission for nearly 100 years,” Sisler said.

Katrin Siems, Vice President Marketing and Sales at De Gruyter, noted that the partnership with HUP comes at the same time De Gruyter is introducing a new platform featuring an integrated interface for e-books, journals, and databanks.

“For De Gruyter, this partnership brings two enormous benefits. Firstly it confirms our long-term investment policy in electronic publishing. Secondly, the inclusion of Harvard’s newly published and backlist books in our product range will significantly increase the attractiveness of our content for libraries in the international markets.”

Contact

Ulrike Lippe

Manager Public Relations

Telephone +49 (0)30-260 05 153

ulrike.lippe@degruyter.com

De Gruyter: The independent academic publishing house De Gruyter can look back on a history spanning over 260 years. The publishing group with headquarters in Berlin and Boston annually publishes over 800 new titles in the humanities, medicine, science and law and more than 170 journals and digital media. http://www.degruyter.com/

[Via No Shelf Required]

1 COMMENT

  1. A conversational and pithy style is much more likely to be read on a blog. Please remind De Gruyter that we get enough PR from news sites.

    “[brand name] [spurious adverb] [does everything] for [everyone] [perfectly] and has [whatever attitude you want]”

    Business and politics have learnt a lot from the sex industry.

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