Harlequin Readers Find New Ways for Romance with Technology from LibreDigital

AUSTIN, Texas--(BUSINESS WIRE)--LibreDigital, a division of NewsStand, Inc., and Harlequin Enterprises Limited, the global leader in series romance and one of the world’s leading publishers of women’s fiction, today announced that Harlequin has selected the LibreDigital Internet Digital Warehouse solution to provide readers with new ways to access Harlequin titles across digital channels, including online and mobile. Beginning April 2008, Harlequin will make some of its most popular series such as Harlequin Presents — the world’s bestselling romance series — and books by New York Times bestselling authors like Debbie Macomber (74 Seaside Avenue, Back on Blossom Street), Heather Graham (The Death Dealer, The Séance) and Mercedes Lackey (Fortune’s Fool and the upcoming The Snow Queen) available for browsing online.

“Romance readers are having a love affair with digital,” said Brent Lewis, Vice President Internet & Digital, Harlequin. “With technology from LibreDigital, we can give readers an experience similar to walking into a bookstore and flipping through a book to make their purchase decision. We were the first trade publisher to offer our entire front list in eBook format and now our new Browse the Book and widget functionality powered by LibreDigital will offer our broad base of readers fresh ways to interact with, share and enjoy the stories we have to offer.”

Harlequin sold over 130 million books in 2007 and publishes more than 120 titles a month in 29 languages. Romance novels have proven to be one of the most popular categories of digital publishing, and Harlequin titles regularly top eBook bestseller lists. Harlequin novels are written by 1,200 talented authors worldwide, offering readers a broad range of stories – from romance to psychological thrillers to relationship novels. Beginning this month, Harlequin will use LibreDigital technology to provide readers and authors with a variety of new options to virally spread favorite book titles throughout the Internet including on author websites, blogs and social networks.

“Harlequin readers are some of the most loyal and active in the industry,” said Craig Miller, Vice President and General Manager of LibreDigital. “Working together with Harlequin, we are giving both traditional and new audiences a way to enjoy their favorite books when and how they want.”

LibreDigital solutions are used by some of the world’s top publishers, including Bloomsbury, HarperCollins and Hachette. The company’s offerings include the LibreDigital Internet Digital Warehouse solution which allows publishers to deliver searchable book content in a variety of digital formats while protecting control of content and copyrights.

About Harlequin

Harlequin Enterprises Limited is the global leader in series romance and one of the world’s leading publishers of women’s fiction, with titles issued worldwide in 29 languages and sold in 107 international markets. The company produces over 120 titles monthly and publishes more than 1,200 authors from around the world. Harlequin Enterprises Limited is a wholly owned subsidiary of Torstar Corporation, a broadly based media company listed on the Toronto Stock Exchange (TS.B). Harlequin’s Web site is located at www.eHarlequin.com. Harlequin has offices in 18 countries, including offices in Toronto, New York and London. For more information please visit www.eHarlequin.com or press.eHarlequin.com.

About LibreDigital

LibreDigital develops technologies to enable book publishers to captivate readers across new print, online and mobile platforms, including the iPhone. The LibreDigital Internet Digital Warehouse for controlled Internet distribution and display of book content, eBooks and Audio Books is the platform-of-choice for the world's top book publishers. LibreDigital is a division of NewsStand, a privately-held company headquartered in Austin, Texas, with offices in New York City, Germany and the United Kingdom. Investors include Adams Capital Management, Noro-Moseley Partners, the New York Times Company and HarperCollins Publishers. Find out more at www.libredigital.com.

LibreDigital and NewsStand are trademarks of NewsStand, Inc. All other company and product names mentioned are used only for identification and may be trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective companies.