Time Warner Trade Publishing said yesterday that it will make a major push into the world of new media with the formation of iPublish.com at Time Warner Books early next year.
The venture will seek to unite readers, authors and editors. The site also will explore new avenues for the production, distribution and sale of new forms of fiction and nonfiction material created specifically for the Internet.
iPublish.com is Time Warner Trade Publishing's first dedicated Internet initiative.
“While our new venture will have its own staff and a specially tailored approach, we hope to bring our incredible roster of current authors, our rich backlist, and our own acumen to this exciting new company,” said Lawrence J. Kirshbaum, chairman/CEO of Time Warner Trade Publishing. “Our impending new relationship as part of AOL-Time Warner can only add to our desire to redefine what it means to ‘publish’ a book.”
Certain AOL brands will become iPublish.com distribution partners, and iPublish.com has announced promotional relationships with Microsoft and Gemstar. Other partnerships with e-book software companies, device makers and online retailers are likely to follow.
The site will consist of three channels: iRead will showcase published works and serve as a launch pad for distribution; iWrite will allow reader members to submit new works, which Time Warner editors and other reader members will be able to review and select for publication in digital and print formats; and iLearn will be a forum for best-selling authors and inhouse experts to share their knowledge with the site’s users.
In the months leading up to the launch, Time Warner Trade Publishing will convert a range of existing content into digital format and offer original e-books by well-known authors for distribution, according to Maureen Mahon Egen, president, Time Warner Trade Publishing.
Gregory Voynow, vice president and director of online marketing and development at Time Warner Trade Publishing, will become senior vice president and general manager at iPublish.com.
