Published: February 22, 2010
New Macmillan Subsidiary, DynamicBooks, Redefines Interactive Textbooks for Higher Education
NEW YORK - (BUSINESS WIRE) - DynamicBooks, a new subsidiary of Macmillan, unveiled today a new
digital publishing platform that allows instructors to freely customize
and modify some of today's most respected textbooks. Using the
DynamicBooks' editing tools, instructors can tailor world-class content
to suit their classroom needs by editing existing content or adding new
text or media assets. Once instructors "publish" their custom book,
their students can choose to purchase either a fully featured digital
text or a printed version of the new book.
DynamicBooks was created in close partnership with Ingram Content Group
Inc. and utilizes Ingram's successful VitalSource Bookshelf platform and
Lightning Source print-on-demand capability.
DynamicBooks seeks to lower costs to students and is working with its
publisher partners to do so. As an example, Bedford, Freeman and Worth
books will be available in digital form for 40-50 percent of the price
of traditional books.
"DynamicBooks strives to put control of world-class textbook content
into the hands of instructors. Our easy-to-use custom publishing
platform allows instructors to create tailored versions of many of
today's most popular textbooks, and then instantly publish them for
their students in both digital and print versions," said Clancy
Marshall, General Manager of DynamicBooks. (Marshall will demonstrate
DynamicBooks at the O'Reilly Tools of Change conference in New York on
Wed, Feb 24 at 8:30 a.m. in the Broadway North room.)
"Most college students don't read textbooks anymore," said Charles
Grisham, professor of chemistry at the University of Virginia. "Students
jump from point to point as they do on the Internet. It's also safe to
say that no textbook has completely matched every instructor's syllabus.
DynamicBooks offers instructors and authors a better way to convey
content that is more relevant and creative-minded, and that mirrors the
always interactive environment in which students live."
Brian Napack, President of Macmillan, said: "DynamicBooks is a win for
everyone. Instructors and students get more engaging, more relevant
textbooks; our authors get a more engaged community of instructors; and
publishers get to deliver more powerful content, made so through
collaboration with their customers." He continued, "The rapid launch of
DynamicBooks represents an extension of our deep partnership with
Ingram, who were uniquely positioned to deliver both state-of-the-art
e-book and print-on-demand platforms."
David "Skip" Prichard, President and CEO of Ingram Content Group Inc.
said: "Ingram Content Group has invested in innovative technology tools
to enable the creation of customized textbooks. We are excited that
Macmillan has chosen VitalSource to offer this capability to educators."
The digital textbook package includes online access; a downloadable
version; and an iPhone application. Students can annotate or highlight
and search terms or their notes in their DynamicBook and can print from
within the application. Printed, bound versions are also available in
black and white or full color. Students can order these books from
retailers such as Barnes & Noble, Amazon and Follett.
Using podcasts, video clips, animation, equation editors, graphing
tools, and their own content, instructors can customize a textbook to
better match their teaching style and class focus. Instructor edited
content will be highlighted as changed from the original text and
attributed to the instructor who made the change. All original content
and original multimedia additions will be copyrighted by the instructor.
Authors can develop more of a community relationship with instructors to
share ideas and improve the content.
DynamicBooks' platform is powered by VitalSource, a leader in digital
books technology and further enhanced by on demand printing and
fulfillment through Ingram Content Group. Book industry partners include
Macmillan's Bedford, Freeman and Worth Publishers and Hayden McNeil
Publishers.
DynamicBooks currently offers 20 of today's most popular science and
math books. More titles are being added each week in subjects such as
psychology, economics and statistics. Bedford, Freeman and Worth has
committed to adding many of its most popular textbooks to the platform
in the months to come.
DynamicBooks will be available for purchase at the DynamicBooks website
and college bookstores August 1st.
ABOUT INGRAM
Ingram Content Group Inc. provides a broad range of physical and digital
services to the book industry. Ingram's operating units are Ingram Book
Company, Lightning Source Inc., Ingram Digital, VitalSource
Technologies, Ingram Periodicals Inc., Ingram International Inc., Ingram
Library Services Inc., Spring Arbor Distributors Inc., Ingram Publisher
Services Inc., Tennessee Book Company LLC, Coutts Information Services,
and Ingram Marketing Group Inc. For more information visit www.ingramcontent.com
ABOUT MACMILLAN
DynamicBooks is a subsidiary of Macmillan, one of the world's largest
and best-known English-language publishers. www.dynamicbooks.com.
Macmillan is a global publisher of books, magazines, educational
content, tools, and services, scientific information, and digital media.
In the US, the group includes Farrar, Straus & Giroux; Henry Holt; St.
Martin's Press; Tor Books; Picador; Macmillan Audio; Bedford St.
Martin's; W.H. Freeman; Worth Publishers; Hayden-McNeil; i>clicker; and
Scientific American. Macmillan is a subsidiary of Verlagsgruppe Georg
von Holtzbrinck, GMbH, a global media company based in Stuttgart,
Germany. www.macmillan.com

for DynamicBooks
Karen Lippe, 831-430-0526
karenlippe@gmail.com
or
Keel
Hunt, 615-321-3110
keel@tsgnashville.com
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