The academic publisher Continuum has launched its own e-bookstore, Continuum eBooks. Continuum expects to have 2,000 titles in the store by the end of April with prices set at that of the lowest print edition. The company hopes to have 3,500 titles by June and while the store will initially be opened to individuals, Continuum expects to offer packages aimed at academic institutions starting at the end of June.
Oliver Gadsby, Continuum CEO, said, “The launch of our e-book store marks a big step forward for our business, and will make our content instantly accessible to readers worldwide. The majority of Continuum’s frontlist titles from its humanities, education and religion lists will be released as e-books on the store, simultaneously with the publication of print editions. Visitors to the store can preview a selection of pages, and can build wish-lists and save searches. The store also features widgets that can be embedded on web sites such as authors’ blogs, allowing e-book previews and links back to the title’s page on the store for purchase.
The ultimate goal of Continuum is to put the majority of its list, currently around 8,500 titles, in e-book form. Continuum eBooks has been developed in partnership with MPS Ltd using the ContentStore platform.
