Bookmate adds HC for English push

HarperCollins US will be the first English language publisher to sign up titles to Russian e-book subscription service Bookmate.

The publisher has agreed to allow the subscription service—which has 1.5m active readers, mainly in Russia—to sign up hundreds of its backlist titles to the platform.

The deal marks Bookmate’s English language launch and follows  the recent release of its new iOS and Android apps, which have a heavy emphasis on social reading, enabling users to follow others and share recommendations and thoughts on books.

Bookmate founder Simon Dunlop said: “This is a big moment for Bookmate. Our users get access to thousands of great new e-books in English and the recent partnership we have signed is a massive vote of confidence from the publishing industry.”

Dunlop is speaking to English-language publishers at the fair, and is expected to reveal more content partnerships in due course.

The three-year-old platform currently has 500,000 titles and enables users to choose books by author, title or genre, as well as by the recommendations of editors, experts and celebrities.

The company said that its research showed users spend, on average, 54 minutes a day reading e-books through the app.

Chantal Restivo-Alessi, chief digital officer at HarperCollins, added: “We’re excited to partner with Bookmate. The social aspects are very compelling and offer readers a new way to enjoy e-books.”

HC UK recently followed its US counterpart by signing up its titles to the American subscription platform Scribd.