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By David Rothman

hatchetteModerator’s note: A press release is the source of the quoted headline.

No, I don’t know what Hachette Book Group USA will be doing about DRM. Is it using the Adobe variety of DRM, at least via partners, and expecting people to read .epub books in Adobe Digital Editions? DRM would rule out the enjoyment of Hachette books via FBReader and other open source programs.

The same exclusion of FBReader would also happen with Hachette’s possible future use of .epub with Mobi DRM, which, by the way, is incompatible with Adobe’s “protection” unless there’s a secret interoperability pact. And how about the possibility of at least some companies simply converting Hachette’s .epub into proprietary formats with proprietary DRM?

So the Tower of eBabel still stands tall—an enigma to typical consumers.

Of course, if my guess is wrong and Hachette and distributor partners will avoid DRM and standardize on .epub, that would be wonderful news. Dream on, eh?

Meanwhile at least one public domain- and Creative Commons-oriented site, Feedbooks, is serving up .epub; also, a small company, DigitalPulp Publishing, earlier claimed the use of .epub.

I wonder, too, exactly when Hachette will actually be using .epub at the consumer level, directly or through partners—not just the production level. And questions also arise as to whether Hachette will be using .epub in Europe and elsewhere outside the States (thanks, Hadrein).

Forget the technicalities and other fine points, however, or the probable use of DRM. Kudos to Hachette—home to best-selling authors such as James Patterson and David Baldacci—which may well be the first major publisher to do .epub! Others intend to do so, although they’re probably waiting for a DRM standard, alas, rather than trying nonencrypted .epub at the consumer level. Meanwhile see the next page for the release. – DR

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Hachette Book Group USA has announced that it is the first publisher to produce its bestselling content in the new International Digital Publishing Forum’s (IDPF) eBook format called “.epub.” The new standard will enable Hachette Book Group to produce and send a single digital publication file and ISBN that can be used on any digital platform that is capable of rendering an .epub file. This new process will lower HBGUSA’s e-book production costs and allow it to publish more titles as eBooks.

Hachette Book Group is a member of the IDPF committee that created the .epub standard. With the enhanced efficiency that the new standard brings, Hachette Book Group will steadily increase the number of eBooks it publishes, starting with titles released in December 2007.

“We are pleased to be the first in the industry to adopt the new .epub standard, which simplifies the creation of digital content, benefiting publishers and consumers alike. Not only will it enable us to create more digital files more efficiently, it will allow us to provide consumers with more types of digital books than in the past. We look forward to working with our distribution and e-tailer partners on this exciting advancement in the eBook market,” said David Young, chairman and chief executive officer of Hachette Book Group USA.

“Hachette Book Group’s leadership in implementing new .epub digital standards will accelerate the growth of eBooks for both booksellers and readers,” said Michael Smith, executive director of the International Digital Publishing Forum. “The new eBook file formats that Hachette Book Group has helped engineer provide streamlined publishing, distribution, and end-user reading features that we expect to be widely supported.”

About Hachette Book Group USA

Hachette Book Group USA is a leading provider of books in print, online, audio, and print on demand formats. Based in New York, Hachette Book Group is a division of Hachette Livre, the third largest publisher in the world. Hachette Book Group’s product lines include adult, illustrated, religious, children’s and digital and audio books under the Little, Brown and Company, Little Brown Books for Young Readers, Grand Central Publishing, FaithWords, Center Street, Orbit, Yen Press and Hachette Book Group Digital Media imprints. Its bestselling authors include Ansel Adams, David Baldacci, Marc Brown, Michael Connelly, Nelson DeMille, Malcolm Gladwell, Robert Kiyosaki, Walter Mosley, Joyce Meyer, Stephenie Meyer, James Patterson, David Sedaris, Anita Shreve, Nicholas Sparks, Cecily von Ziegesar, and Paula White. Hachette Book Group also sells and distributes books for other publishers and has a state of the art warehouse in Indiana and customer service operations in Boston. For more information, visit http://www.hbgusa.com.

About the International Digital Publishing Forum

The International Digital Publishing Forum (IDPF), formerly the OpeneBook Forum (OeBF), is the trade and standards association for the digitalpublishing industry. Further information about the organization and industry, including membership information, can be obtained by visiting http://www.idpf.org.

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