Top Publishers Sign With OverDrive to Distribute Download Audio Books

Market Wire, December, 2004

OverDrive, Inc., a leading digital media company, announced today that it has signed agreements with Blackstone Audiobooks and 20 other publishers to distribute download audio titles to its growing network of public libraries. Over 10,000 popular audio books, including fiction, business, educational, and children's audio and music titles, will be available to library patrons through its Digital Library Reserve service.

In addition to best-selling authors published by Brilliance Audio, OverDrive is now offering spoken word titles in dozens of genres from the vast catalog of Blackstone Audiobooks. Other suppliers and categories include J.A. Jance mysteries, David Eddings Sci-fi, and the Left Behind series of titles from Books in Motion, plus:

--  Penton Overseas - business, foreign language learning, and educational
    titles
--  Listen & Live - fiction, business, self-help, adventure audio
--  Twin Sisters Productions - award-winning children's educational audio
    and songs
--  Audio Bookshelf - award-winning history and poetry titles
--  Hay House - inspirational and transformational audio titles
--  Pocket University - education titles in a broad range of interests
--  Colonial Radio Theater - full-cast dramatizations of great events
--  Prometheus Radio Theater - science fiction dramatizations
--  Eagle House Publishing - personal effectiveness and motivational
    titles
--  Car Tours - self-guided interpretive driving tour audio
--  One Voice Recording - a preeminent library of Sherlock Holmes classics
    

"OverDrive Audio Books are receiving praise for their convenience and ease-of-use," stated Claudia Weissman, OverDrive Director of Business Development. "Students, travelers, parents of young children ... anyone with an Internet connection and a library card can download audio material for listening on portable players and CDs to play in the car. Download titles are available at San Jose Public Library, named 2004 Library of the Year by Library Journal (http://ebooks.sjlibrary.org/); Cuyahoga County Public Library (http://ebcd.cuyahogalibrary.org); King County Library System (http://ebooks.kcls.org/); and Cleveland Public Library (http://dlc.clevnet.org/); and others," she added.

The OverDrive Media Console, free PC software for downloading and listening to OverDrive Audio Books, is gaining recognition for its accessibility features for blind and visually impaired readers. These include keyboard shortcuts, variable speed listening, TTS software support, and bookmarks. It can be downloaded at www.overdrive.com/mediaconsole.asp.

Media Contact: Jennifer Jackson OverDrive, Inc. (216) 573-6886 x207 jjackson@overdrive.com