NEW YORK – (Business Wire) DynamicBooks, a new subsidiary of Macmillan, unveiled today a new digital publishing platform that allows instructors to freely customize and modify some of today’s most respected textbooks. Using the DynamicBooks’ editing tools, instructors can tailor world-class content to suit their classroom needs by editing existing content or adding new text or media assets. Once instructors “publish” their custom book, their students can choose to purchase either a fully featured digital text or a printed version of the new book.

DynamicBooks was created in close partnership with Ingram Content Group Inc. and utilizes Ingram’s successful VitalSource Bookshelf platform and Lightning Source print-on-demand capability.

DynamicBooks seeks to lower costs to students and is working with its publisher partners to do so. As an example, Bedford, Freeman and Worth books will be available in digital form for 40-50 percent of the price of traditional books.

“DynamicBooks strives to put control of world-class textbook content into the hands of instructors. Our easy-to-use custom publishing platform allows instructors to create tailored versions of many of today’s most popular textbooks, and then instantly publish them for their students in both digital and print versions,” said Clancy Marshall, General Manager of DynamicBooks. (Marshall will demonstrate DynamicBooks at the O’Reilly Tools of Change conference in New York on Wed, Feb 24 at 8:30 a.m. in the Broadway North room.)

“Most college students don’t read textbooks anymore,” said Charles Grisham, professor of chemistry at the University of Virginia. “Students jump from point to point as they do on the Internet. It’s also safe to say that no textbook has completely matched every instructor’s syllabus. DynamicBooks offers instructors and authors a better way to convey content that is more relevant and creative-minded, and that mirrors the always interactive environment in which students live.”

Brian Napack, President of Macmillan, said: “DynamicBooks is a win for everyone. Instructors and students get more engaging, more relevant textbooks; our authors get a more engaged community of instructors; and publishers get to deliver more powerful content, made so through collaboration with their customers.” He continued, “The rapid launch of DynamicBooks represents an extension of our deep partnership with Ingram, who were uniquely positioned to deliver both state-of-the-art e-book and print-on-demand platforms.”

David “Skip” Prichard, President and CEO of Ingram Content Group Inc. said: “Ingram Content Group has invested in innovative technology tools to enable the creation of customized textbooks. We are excited that Macmillan has chosen VitalSource to offer this capability to educators.”

The digital textbook package includes online access; a downloadable version; and an iPhone application. Students can annotate or highlight and search terms or their notes in their DynamicBook and can print from within the application. Printed, bound versions are also available in black and white or full color. Students can order these books from retailers such as Barnes & Noble, Amazon and Follett.
Read more: http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/new-macmillan-subsidiary-dynamicbooks-redefines-interactive-textbooks-for-higher-education,1173765.shtml#ixzz0hgLBgsRw ^[1]

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