If the three secrets to success in real estate are location, location, location, then the three secrets to success in the e-reader market are books, books, books. The devices themselves are fairly similar — but it’s the content that really sets things apart. Apple seems to have figured that out from Amazon, but until James Patterson starts coming directly to Steve Jobs with manuscripts, collecting books that people actually want to read means greasing the wheels with publishers. For the device’s launch, Apple managed to put together agreements with five of the world’s largest book pushers. Recognize the names, but not sure what they’ll bring to the iPad? Here’s a quick dossier on Apple’s new best friends.
Penguin
Owner: Pearson PLC
Notable Brands: Puffin Books, Viking Press, Allen Lane, The Complete Idiot’s Guide, E.P. Dutton
Popular Titles: The Scarpetta Factor by Patricia Cornwell, Tom Clancy’s HAWX by David Michaels, Food Rules by Michael Pollan, Getting Things Done by David Allen, The Godfather by Mario Puzo
Harper Collins
Owner: News Corp
Notable Brands: Ecco, Avon Books, Regan Books, William Morrow & Company
Popular Titles: Going Rogue by Sarah Palin, Act Like a Lady, Think Like a Man by Steve Harvey, Pirate Latitudes by Michael Crichton, SuperFreakonomics by Steven D. Levitt and Stephen J. Dubner, Game Change by John Heilemann and Mark Halperin
Simon & Schuster
Owner: CBS Corporation
Notable Brands: Aladdin Paperbacks, Free Press, Scriber, Howard Books, Atria
Popular Titles: Last Words by George Carlin, Under the Dome by Stephen King, Thirst No. 2 by Christopher Pike, Days of Gold by Jude Deveraux, Eating the Dinosaur by Chuck Klosterman
Macmillan
Owner: Verlagsgruppe Georg von Holtzbrinck
Notable Brands: Bedford, Farrar, Straus & Giroux, Pan Books, St. Martins Press, Tor Books
Popular Titles: Sarah’s Key by Tatiana de Rosnay, Wolf Hall by Hilary Mante, Night by Elie Wiesel, Plum Spooky by Janet Evanovich, Impact by Douglas Preston
Hachette
Owner: Lagardère SCA
Notable Brands: Twelve, Orbit Books, Yen Press, Grand Central Publishing, Vision
Popular Titles: Twilight by Stephenie Meyer, Dear John by Nicholas Sparks, Alex Cross by James Patterson,The Shack by William P. Young, The Swan Thieves by Elizabeth Kostova
