NEW YORK, Oct. 26 /PRNewswire/ -- Hachette Book Group USA has announced that it is the first publisher to produce its bestselling content in the new International Digital Publishing Forum's (IDPF) eBook format called ".epub." The new standard will enable Hachette Book Group to produce and send a single digital publication file and ISBN that can be used on any digital platform that is capable of rendering an .epub file. This new process will lower HBGUSA's e-book production costs and allow it to publish more titles as eBooks.

Hachette Book Group is a member of the IDPF committee that created the .epub standard. With the enhanced efficiency that the new standard brings, Hachette Book Group will steadily increase the number of eBooks it publishes, starting with titles released in December 2007.

"We are pleased to be the first in the industry to adopt the new .epub standard, which simplifies the creation of digital content, benefiting publishers and consumers alike. Not only will it enable us to create more digital files more efficiently, it will allow us to provide consumers with more types of digital books than in the past. We look forward to working with our distribution and e-tailer partners on this exciting advancement in the eBook market," said David Young, chairman and chief executive officer of Hachette Book Group USA.

"Hachette Book Group's leadership in implementing new .epub digital standards will accelerate the growth of eBooks for both booksellers and readers," said Michael Smith, executive director of the International Digital Publishing Forum. "The new eBook file formats that Hachette Book Group has helped engineer provide streamlined publishing, distribution, and end-user reading features that we expect to be widely supported."

About Hachette Book Group USA

Hachette Book Group USA is a leading provider of books in print, online, audio, and print on demand formats. Based in New York, Hachette Book Group is a division of Hachette Livre, the third largest publisher in the world. Hachette Book Group's product lines include adult, illustrated, religious, children's and digital and audio books under the Little, Brown and Company, Little Brown Books for Young Readers, Grand Central Publishing, FaithWords, Center Street, Orbit, Yen Press and Hachette Book Group Digital Media imprints. Its bestselling authors include Ansel Adams, David Baldacci, Marc Brown, Michael Connelly, Nelson DeMille, Malcolm Gladwell, Robert Kiyosaki, Walter Mosley, Joyce Meyer, Stephenie Meyer, James Patterson, David Sedaris, Anita Shreve, Nicholas Sparks, Cecily von Ziegesar, and Paula White. Hachette Book Group also sells and distributes books for other publishers and has a state of the art warehouse in Indiana and customer service operations in Boston. For more information, visit http://www.hbgusa.com/.

About the International Digital Publishing Forum

The International Digital Publishing Forum (IDPF), formerly the Open eBook Forum (OeBF), is the trade and standards association for the digital publishing industry. Further information about the organization and industry, including membership information, can be obtained by visiting http://www.idpf.org/.

CONTACT: April Hattori of Hachette Book Group USA, +1-212-364-1444,
april.hattori@hbgusa.com; or Steve Potash, President of IDPF, +1-216-573-6886
x201, spotash@idpf.org

Web site: http://www.hbgusa.com/
http://www.idpf.org/