Press Release
January 23, 2006
Safari Books Online Launches New Rough Cuts Service Readers Get Early Access to Works-in-Progress on Cutting-Edge Technologies Before Books are Published
Sebastopol, CA--Readers everywhere now have the
opportunity to get an exclusive sneak peak into the latest books covering
new technologies with Safari's Rough Cuts service. Launched today by
Safari Books Online, LLC, a joint venture between technology publishers
O'Reilly Media, Inc. and Pearson Technology Group, a division of Pearson
plc (NYSE: PSO), the beta version of the new Rough Cuts service gives
readers online access to works-in-progress, before they're published as
print books.
Readers who buy a Rough Cuts title get immediate access to an evolving
manuscript. They can read the book online or download and print a PDF
version. The initial version of a Rough Cuts book will not be fully
edited, subjected to final technical review, or completely formatted.
Similar to the nightly build in a software project, the Rough Cuts PDF is
updated every time the author and editor make changes as they progress
toward the finished book. Using the Rough Cuts service's built-in Notes
feature, readers can send feedback, suggestions, bug fixes, and comments
directly to the author and editor.
"Rough Cuts is an important initiative in the evolving nature of Safari,"
said Sean Devine, general manager of Safari Books Online. "We are using
the power of the Web to bring more current information from expert authors
to our users. Our users don't want to have to wait until a book is
published to get answers to their questions, especially when it comes to
emerging technologies. Rough Cuts begins to solve that problem."
Four O'Reilly titles are available now, and up to eight additional Rough
Cuts books from both O'Reilly and Pearson Technology Group will be added
in the first quarter of 2006. The inaugural Rough Cuts titles share a
focus on hot emerging technologies: Ajax Hacks, Flickr Hacks, Ruby on
Rails: Up and Running, and Ruby Cookbook. Among many titles coming from
Pearson Technology Group this quarter are: Macs on the Go, Real World
Adobe Creative Suite 2, Secrets of Videoblogging, Imagination Challenge,
and ASP.NET 2.0 Unleashed.
"Since we launched the Safari platform in 2000, we've been driven by a
vision of bringing the Web's most compelling capabilities--search, remix,
collaborative development, and automatic update--to our online books,"
said Tim O'Reilly, founder and CEO of O'Reilly Media. "The Rough Cuts
service is a major step forward in that quest, one that propels the online
book into the Web 2.0 world."
"Rough Cuts not only provide early digital access to our future best
sellers," says John Isley, President and CEO of Pearson Technology Group,
"it also connects readers with expert authors on technical topics
important in advancing their careers and education."
A Rough Cuts title typically becomes available two to six months prior to
a book's publication. It is updated as the author and technical reviewers
progress, so users have access to new versions as they are created.
Readers have three purchase options through Rough Cuts program: buy the
online version, at a substantial discount from the suggested retail price
for the print book; buy both the Rough Cuts and, when it is released, the
print book at a special package price; or place an advance order for just
the finished book at a pre-publication discount.
Additional Information:
More information
about the Rough Cuts service and registration for the program
About Safari Books Online
Safari Books Online(www.safaribooksonline.com) is a joint venture between
O'Reilly Media, Inc., and the Pearson Technology Group. Safari's flagship
service, Safari Tech Books Online, is the premier electronic reference
library for programming and IT departments. Unlike an online bookstore,
Safari is a fully searchable database of the electronic versions of books
from O'Reilly and Pearson's many imprints: Addison-Wesley Professional,
Adobe Press, Cisco Press, New Riders, Peachpit Press, Prentice Hall PTR,
Sun Microsystems Press, Que, and Sams.
Safari's portfolio includes four additional electronic reference
libraries: Safari Bookshelf for individual technologists, Safari HelpDesk
Online for enterprise knowledge workers, Safari Business Books Online for
business professionals, and Safari Enterprise Library.
About Pearson Technology Group
With the most trusted and recognized brands in the computing arena,
Pearson Technology Group, a division of Pearson Education
(www.pearsoned.com), and part of Pearson plc (NYSE: PSO), is the world's
leading publisher of books and learning materials focused on advancing the
skills of technical, business, creative and professional computing
consumers. Pearson Technology Group is home to such renowned publishing
brands as Addison-Wesley, Adobe Press, Apple Certified, Cisco Press, New
Riders Publishing, Peachpit Press, Prentice Hall, Que Publishing, and Sams
Publishing. Pearson Technology Group is a leader in online publishing
through http://www.informit.com.
About O'Reilly
O'Reilly Media spreads the knowledge of innovators through its books, online services, magazines, and conferences. Since 1978, O'Reilly Media has been a chronicler and catalyst of cutting-edge development, homing in on the technology trends that really matter and spurring their adoption by amplifying "faint signals" from the alpha geeks who are creating the future. An active participant in the technology community, the company has a long history of advocacy, meme-making, and evangelism.
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