The iBookstore went live with books from Australian publishers the other day, and now REDgroup – the company behind Borders and Angus and Robertson in Australia – have announced that they’ve signed deals with all the major Aussie book publishing companies. That means you’ll be able to buy books from Aussie authors for your Kobo or Sony reader.
Not only Australian authors will be included with the new deals, which is a good thing for the Kobo bookstore. According to the press release:
“We are pleased to have an agreement with leading publisher Hachette Australia, which will bring leading local and overseas authors through our partnership with global eBooks retailer Kobo. Our customers are eagerly waiting for authors like Maeve Binchy, Patricia Cornwell, Justin Cronin, Peter Fitzsimons, Charlaine Harris, Barry Humphries, Stephen King, Hugh Mackay, Alexander McCall Smith, William McInnes, Stephenie Meyer, David Mitchell, Sir Michael Parkinson, and Jessica Watson to appear in our range.
These titles will become available shortly, and we are excited that the consumer will be able to read their favorite authors on the widest range of eReading devices, smart phones and computers… including the iPad and Mac through our range of apps.”
More eBooks legally available is always welcome, although given the pricing on the iBookstore, pricing will be a major issue when it comes to competing with the Kindle.