E-reads and Fictionwise.com Announce Strategic Relationship

May 9, 2001 - Chatham, NJ - E-reads, a leading publisher of quality fiction and nonfiction reprints, and Fictionwise.com, a top-selling web publisher and retailer, announced today that the two companies have formed a strategic relationship. As part of the agreement, Fictionwise will be the preferred distributor of e-reads' extensive list of titles.

Fictionwise.com, launched by founders Steve and Scott Pendergrast in June 2000, is a highly dynamic and interactive retail eBook web site that both authors and eBook buyers have praised. Currently, the majority of Fictionwise's catalogue is short fiction eBooks, focusing on award-winning science fiction and fantasy.

The combination of e-reads' high quality, full-length titles with Fictionwise's advanced retail channel makes the strategic relationship a formidable player in the emerging eBook industry. The core competencies of each firm generate exciting possibilities. Richard Curtis, founder of e-reads, holds a distinguished position in the traditional publishing world as the head of a leading literary agency. His reputation in the author and agent communities is a perfect fit with the technical savvy and online marketing skills brought to the table by the Pendergrast brothers, who come out of strong technology, Internet, and new media backgrounds.

Curtis describes Fictionwise.com as "the most technically advanced eBook website I know of. Although our books are distributed by numerous online retailers, Fictionwise's skills in reaching fans and other consumers are peerless. The technology behind the Fictionwise website, from their micropay system to the numerous eBook formats they support, makes them a clear leader."

Scott Pendergrast, co-publisher of Fictionwise, commented, "Our members have been asking for more variety, more authors, more categories of both fiction and nonfiction. E-reads owns a killer list of titles that fits right in with that demand. This relationship will benefit customers and authors alike, as well as both of our companies. It will allow e-reads to focus on content acquisition and Fictionwise to focus on keeping our technology and delivery systems cutting-edge."

Under the agreement, Fictionwise.com has created a special page on its web site for e-reads titles and information, and in turn gains access to e-reads ' entire catalog of high-quality novels and nonfiction titles. E-reads will designate Fictionwise.com as its preferred eBook sales retailer. The companies are exploring other ways to work together, including joint marketing opportunities and technology sharing.

About e-reads:

In 1999 Richard Curtis, one of the publishing industry's most prominent literary agents, founded e-reads in anticipation of the eBook revolution he had long predicted. Focusing on the most popular categories of fiction and nonfiction, Curtis acquired a stellar array of titles by big-name authors. His approach to publishing is radically simple: "It consists of an author, a reader, and a server, and everything else is irrelevant." Thanks to the vast economies produced by electronic text-delivery systems, he created what he terms an "author-centric" publishing model in which the author contributes more to the publication and promotion processes and is rewarded with a much greater share of revenue than is paid by conventional publishers. The e-reads web page at Fictionwise can be seen at: /servlet/mw?t=publisher&pi=3

For further information, contact info@ereads.com

About Fictionwise.com:

Fictionwise.com is a leading independent eBook publisher and distributor. The company publishes award-winning and high-quality fiction eBooks by top authors in multiple formats, including Palm (for Palm, Visor and Win CE), Adobe Acrobat, Rocket/REB1100, Microsoft Reader (Pocket PC and PCs), and Franklin eBookMan. Fictionwise authors include Larry Niven, Harlan Ellison, Robert Silverberg, Nancy Kress, Damon Knight, Gregory Benford, Mike Resnick, James Patrick Kelly, Pamela Sargent, and Kate Wilhelm, amongst many others. Fictionwise also distributes eBooks by other high-quality publishers. It is believed that Fictionwise.com has the largest eBook collection of major award-winning and nominated science fiction stories on the Internet. For further information, contact Scott Pendergrast at pr@fictionwise.com.