HM Licenses an E-dictionary

Calvin Reid |

Aug 21, 2000

News
HM Licenses an E-dictionary Calvin Reid -- 8/21/00 *Publisher claims electronic version will contribute more than $1 million in licensing fees to HM's bottom line this year.* Who says there's no money in e-books? Houghton Mifflin will release the fourth edition of its American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language in print and electronic editions in September, and the publisher claims the e-dictionary will contribute more than $1 million in licensing fees to HM's bottom line this year. Lori Glazer, HM publicity director, told PW that the updated, 2,100-page dictionary is now in full color and available both in print (250,000-copy first printing) and CD-ROM editions. The dictionary's electronic edition generates revenue through licensing agreements with Web sites, educational databases, software producers and to e-book publishers. Wendy Strothman, executive v-p and publisher of trade and reference at HM, said that HM has been licensing the AHD to word-processing manufacturers since 1980. But in recent years, the company developed software called "embedded look-up," which allows an e-book reader to double-click any word in a document and get an immediate definition--with full credit given to the dictionary and HM. The e-AHD also offers audio pronunciation features and selections from the full-color art in the print edition. "We think the electronic publication of the dictionary will promote the print dictionary; the dictionary's ubiquity online serves to reinforce its unique features," said Strothman. AHD's embedded lookup is currently available in Glassbook editions of Stephen King titles. The e-dictionary is also available in netLibrary titles, as well as on such Web sites as Allwords.com, Bartleby.com, Blackboard, Dictionary.com, Grolier Encyclopedia Online, Gurunet.com and ThirdVoice.com. In a related development, Gordon Hardy has been named a divisional v-p and executive editor in the trade and reference division responsible for print and electronic formats. Before joining HM, Hardy was v-p for content and editor-in-chief of an Internet startup.

News

HM Licenses an E-dictionary
Calvin Reid -- 8/21/00
Publisher claims electronic version will contribute more than $1 million in licensing fees to HM's bottom line this year.

Who says there's no money in e-books? Houghton Mifflin will release the fourth edition of its American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language in print and electronic editions in September, and the publisher claims the e-dictionary will contribute more than $1 million in licensing fees to HM's bottom line this year.

Lori Glazer, HM publicity director, told PW that the updated, 2,100-page dictionary is now in full color and available both in print (250,000-copy first printing) and CD-ROM editions. The dictionary's electronic edition generates revenue through licensing agreements with Web sites, educational databases, software producers and to e-book publishers.

Wendy Strothman, executive v-p and publisher of trade and reference at HM, said that HM has been licensing the AHD to word-processing manufacturers since 1980. But in recent years, the company developed software called "embedded look-up," which allows an e-book reader to double-click any word in a document and get an immediate definition--with full credit given to the dictionary and HM. The e-AHD also offers audio pronunciation features and selections from the full-color art in the print edition. "We think the electronic publication of the dictionary will promote the print dictionary; the dictionary's ubiquity online serves to reinforce its unique features," said Strothman.

AHD's embedded lookup is currently available in Glassbook editions of Stephen King titles. The e-dictionary is also available in netLibrary titles, as well as on such Web sites as Allwords.com, Bartleby.com, Blackboard, Dictionary.com, Grolier Encyclopedia Online, Gurunet.com and ThirdVoice.com.

In a related development, Gordon Hardy has been named a divisional v-p and executive editor in the trade and reference division responsible for print and electronic formats. Before joining HM, Hardy was v-p for content and editor-in-chief of an Internet startup.

A version of this article appeared in the 08/21/2000 issue of Publishers Weekly under the headline: