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Springer shakes up e-books industry

10.06.08

While the digital revolution is hurting many publishers, the digital business side of academic publisher Springer has picked up speed thanks to its liberal DRM policy and cataloguing abilities, writes Pam Baker at TechNewsWorld. 

"Publishing as an industry is very conservative and very proprietary. In contrast, Springer is very liberal and wants to be findable everywhere," Cynthia Cleto, global manager for e-books and e-product management at Springer, said.

"She's not kidding," writes Baker. "For starters, Springer released a staggering 30,000 titles to Google, making it one of the largest single contributors. Despite industry piracy fears, the gamble has paid off. 'Fifty percent of our traffic is attributable to Google and our journals are now very established in the market,' says Cleto.

"And how does that performance compare to Springer's competition? There is only the sound of crickets."

Cleto goes on to explain the business model and the effects on authors and the industry in general. 

TechNewsWorld

e-books Springer Global

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