Back in January, Scribd and Oyster convinced Macmillan to test out 1,000 ebooks on their subscription services. The trial proved successful, and now Macmillan is doubling the number of titles it has on the two services. Bestsellers and big-name authors are included in the list, along with an impressive list of children’s books.
Updated on 07-08-2015 by Malarie Gokey: Added news from Oyster, confirming that it, too, has expanded its partnership with Macmillian to include 1,000+ more ebooks.
More than 1,000 new titles hit Scribd and Oyster, including titles from a range of fiction and non-fiction genres. Among the popular ebooks added are Bonfire of the Vanities by Tom Wolfe, Bring Up the Bodies by Hilary Mantel, Red Tent by Anita Diamant, and Annihilation by Jeff VanderMeer.
Several well-known authors are also included in the load of books Macmillan added to Scribd and Oyster, including titles from Mario Vargas Llosa, Rachel Cusk, John McPhee, Richard Powers, Grace Paley, Helen Fisher, Robert Jordan, and more.
Although most of the books Macmillan has brought over are for adults, it has also lent more than 300 children’s books to Scribd’s and Oyster’s library. The most notable additions are the entire Wrinkle In Time series by Madeline L’Engle and several books from popular children’s authors such as Natalie Babbitt, Nick Bruel, William Steig, Nancy Tillman, and more.
Scribd says it has more than 1 million ebooks, audiobooks, and comic books in its library, though it hasn’t given an update in recent months on just how many titles it holds. Some 80 million people read books on Scribd each month in 194 countries. The subscription for unlimited books on Scribd costs $9 a month, and is open to iOS, Android, and Kindle Fire users.
Its main competitor, Oyster, also has more than 1 million titles, though its selection is limited to ebooks and does not include audiobooks or comics. It also costs a dollar more each month at $10. Both services include titles from three of the big five publishers: Macmillan, HarperCollins, and Simon & Schuster.