Toronto, ON and Chatham, NJ - 14 March 2001 - Qvadis, the premier Palm e-publishing solutions provider,
and Fictionwise.com, a leading digital publisher
embodying excellence in ebooks,
today announced a range of joint initiatives
aimed at strengthening their respective market positions
in the burgeoning Palm eBook industry.
Qvadis produces the popular and award-winning Express Reader
line of authoring tools and etext viewers for Palm-powered handhelds.
Fictionwise is a market leader in short fiction and novels
by award-winning and celebrated science fiction and fantasy authors,
which it publishes in a number of electronic formats
including for Palm-compatible handhelds.
"We're very excited to be working with Fictionwise," said Sam Peralta,
CEO of Qvadis. "Our relationship links two companies with complementary
strengths - Qvadis in eBook reader software
and Fictionwise in quality eBook content -
and a common vision, to help build the Palm eBook community."
The initiatives will see Fictionwise novel and short story samplers
bundled in select Qvadis eBook reader applications,
and Fictionwise titles for sale on the Qvadis website,
which already offers nearly 4500 free etexts for Palm-powered handhelds.
In addition, Qvadis Express Reader becomes Fictionwise's recommended
Palm eBook viewer for its community of reading enthusiasts.
"Fictionwise.com is committed to providing high quality content
for all major eBook platforms," commented Stephen Pendergrast,
co-publisher at Fictionwise.com. "Our relationship with Qvadis
will further solidify our position as a leading publisher of
ebooks in Palm format."
"Many of our customers are Palm users who have discovered a passion
for great stories, and they are reading them everywhere -
during lunch breaks, in checkout lines, riding the train home from work -
anywhere there's the opportunity to enjoy a great story,"
said Scott Pendergrast, co-publisher at Fictionwise.com.
"We see our teaming with Qvadis as helping to bring that passion
to a wider audience of Palm users."
Fictionwise.com offerings include award-winning and high quality fiction
ebooks by leading contemporary authors, including
Harlan Ellison, Robert Silverberg, Nancy Kress, Larry Niven, Damon Knight,
Mike Resnick, Michael Swanwick, Gregory Benford, James Patrick Kelly,
Pamela Sargent, Kage Baker, Tom Purdom, and Kate Wilhelm, among others.
It is believed that Fictionwise.com has the largest eBook collection
of major award-winning and nominated stories on the web.
The first integrated PC/Palm eBook publisher and viewer, Qvadis Express Reader has
quickly gained in popularity and critical acclaim since its release for its
simple and intuitive, yet powerful, design. Among other accolades, Express Reader
has been featured as a Hot Product at Yahoo! Mobile, and garnered a five-star
and Reviewers' Pick rating on ZDNet. In addition to Express Reader,
the Qvadis website offers an extensive free etext library, the
Web's most complete links to Palm eBook archives, Palm and Net device news,
as well as the popular eBook-of-the-Month feature.
Titles from Fictionwise.com can be found via its website at
http://www.fictionwise.com.
Express Reader and Qvadis' eBook resources are available from the
Qvadis website at http://www.qvadis.com.
About Qvadis
Qvadis Corporation, the Pocket Ready company, provides the premier
integrated e-document portal for Palm-compatible handheld computers. Its
award-winning Express Reader PC/palmtop software brings desktop documents
and eBooks to the palmtop, and its Ex Libris online service provides
original and partner-based content for Express Reader users.
About Fictionwise
Fictionwise.com, embodying excellence in ebooks, is committed
to providing the Internet's most comprehensive collection of fiction
in eBook format. Fictionwise.com specializes in short fiction and novels,
featuring works by top authors in all major genres, including science fiction,
fantasy, mystery, horror, and humor. Fictionwise.com is owned and operated
by Fictionwise, Inc.
