Digital Publishing Collateral Damage: H.B. Fenn, Canada's Largest Distributor, Goes Bankrupt

PW: "Canadian publishing was shaken yesterday by news that H.B. Fenn and Company, Canada’s largest book distributor and a stalwart in the industry for 30 years, had begun bankruptcy proceedings and appears to be shutting down, leaving its clients and authors scrambling. Fenn issued a brief statement Thursday, saying that it had filed a Notice of Intention to Make a Proposal under the Bankruptcy and Insolvency Act. That could mean a restructuring proposal to allow the company to continue operating, but in the statement CEO and founder Harold Fenn said, 'My heart goes out to our over 125 employees and to the many publishers we represent, as well as the customers that have supported us over the years.' And indeed, according to sources, Fenn staff were told to pack up their belongings yesterday. ... "

New Smashwords/Diesal Strategic Partnership

Book Trade News:

Smashwords, the leading eBook publishing and distribution platform, and the Diesel eBook Store, the world's largest independent eBook retailer, have announced two eBook distribution agreements that will expand eBook publishing, distribution and sales opportunities for thousands of authors.

The agreement is comprised of two components. For the first part of the agreement, Smashwords will distribute its Premium Catalog of over 11,000 Smashwords eBooks to the Diesel eBook Store. Smashwords books will begin appearing in the Diesel eBook Store two weeks from today.

For the second part of the agreement, Diesel has selected Smashwords to power the new Diesel Publishing Portal, where indie authors, and publishers with fewer than 100 published titles, can utilize Smashwords to supply their books to Diesel.

OverDrive's Web-Based Distribution of Digital Media to Libraries

Information Today: "I'd been hearing some buzz this summer about various improvements made by OverDrive to its services for libraries-more content, mobile apps, simplified procedures, etc. OverDrive is a full-service digital distributor of ebooks, audiobooks, music, and video that first launched its online digital warehouse in 2000. So, I caught up with the company's vice president of marketing, David Burleigh, for an extended conversation on what's new and what's coming. While OverDrive offers publishers a secure, web-based, wholesale distribution service for the sale and delivery of digital media, I didn't get into the details of that side of the business. Our discussion focused on what OverDrive offers libraries and their patrons."