Press Releases

M.E. Sharpe Expands e-Book Strategy with New Online Library Reference and e-Textbook Center, Both Enabled by Impelsys Technology

Sharpe Online Reference's one-time purchase program is a cost-saving alternative for librarians; Sharpe's E-Text Center will provide professors, students with greater access, flexible purchase options.

NEW YORK, 14 Oct. 2009 -- M.E. Sharpe, Inc., an award-winning independent publisher of books and journals in the social sciences and humanities, has selected Impelsys, a global leader in electronic content delivery solutions, as its technology partner for two new digital offerings - the recently launched Sharpe Online Reference (SOLR), a breakthrough reference database for students, teachers and librarians and Sharpe E-Text Center (eTc), an e-Book portal to launch for instructors and students.

Sharpe Online Reference, developed with Impelsys' flexible iPlatform portal technology, presently consists of eight previously published but updated, multi-volume reference titles, along with unique supplementary resources. Additional titles will be added on an aggressive schedule. SOLR presents librarians with an innovative offer - one-time purchase and free annual content updates and revisions - plus 24/7 access for an unlimited number of concurrent users, multiple purchase options (single title or collections) and extensive search and navigation features. SOLR was reviewed recently by Library Journal, which called it "an outstanding gateway to further research."

Over the next several weeks, Sharpe will unveil a new e-Textbook portal for college and university professors and students. The new eTc platform uses iPublishCentral, an industry-leading electronic content delivery solution used worldwide by hundreds of publishers. Instead of ordering a print examination copy from Sharpe, professors will be able to access textbook titles for their classes online without the hassle of waiting for and returning print copies. Sharpe expects this program will broaden the choices available to professors, provide greater exposure for its textbooks and reduce shipping and printing costs. Students will be able to purchase the textbooks online (online access and downloads for 180 days at up to a 50 percent discount over print). The eTc will launch with nearly 40 titles, including economics and finance, marketing and advertising, and management, among others.

"Since we don't have the internal resources to create or maintain an e-Book platform on our own, iPublishCentral is a great partner," said Diana McDermott, Vice President and Director of Marketing and Sales at M.E. Sharpe. "It's easy to use, attractive and cost-effective for us. Once the initial set up is completed, expanding e-textbook offerings is straightforward and seamless. Demand for e-textbooks in our markets is increasing rapidly and iPublishCentral has allowed us to respond to this demand very quickly."
iPlatform, Impelsys' portal technology, was specifically built with publishing workflow in mind. iPlatform technology allows publishers to leverage their existing print content and create an end-user feature-rich portal. iPublishCentral is an easy-to-implement, cost-effective, self-service solution that allows publishers to market, distribute and monetize traditional print content through electronic channels.

"With iPlatform and iPublishCentral, M.E. Sharpe has begun to utilize two proven technologies from Impelsys that can deliver on its e-Book strategy," said Sameer Shariff, CEO of Impelsys. "In a rapidly changing industry with business models evolving, we believe that publishers should employ technologies that help them deliver their content in fast, effective and flexible ways to their audience."

Impelsys will hold live demonstrations of iPlatform and iPublishCentral at its booth (Hall 8, #L985) during the Frankfurt Book Fair, October 14-18, 2009.

About M.E. Sharpe, Inc.

Founded in 1958, M.E. Sharpe is a privately held publisher of books and journals in the social sciences and humanities, including titles in economics, business, political science, management, public administration, and history. It also publishes both original works and translations in Asian and East European studies. In addition to textbooks, handbooks, and other academic titles, Sharpe publishes single and multi-volume reference works designed to meet the needs of students and researchers from high school through college under the Sharpe Reference imprint. Sharpe Online Reference, a digital reference platform, was launched in 2009 to meet the ever-increasing demand for quality reference material in electronic format. Sharpe's highly regarded periodicals program includes journals in economics, business, public administration, information technology, mental health, and sociology, along with numerous translation journals in its Asian and East European series.

About Impelsys
Impelsys, a leader in providing electronic content delivery solutions to the global publishing market, helps its clients compete, evolve and grow in an increasingly complex marketplace. Impelsys-powered technologies like iPlatform(TM) and VirtualPages(TM) and solutions like iPublishCentral(TM) help publishers increase their revenues by delivering content online quickly and cost effectively. Impelsys' passion for client success has helped it build long-term partnerships with its customers becoming critical in the client's electronic delivery strategy. Leading clients include McGraw-Hill, Elsevier, Wolters Kluwer, Benchmark Education, Marshall Cavendish and Houghton Mifflin. Headquartered in New York, Impelsys operates across North America, Europe and India. For more information, please visit www.impelsys.com.