Bloomberg Businessweek strikes deal with Hachette for e-books

Hachette Book Group is partnering with Bloomberg Businessweek on e-singles that will illuminate key moments in the world of business, drawing on content from the magazine, reports Laura Hazard Owen of PaidContent.org. The first one is about Steve Jobs.

Owen writes, “The Steve Jobs e-book is $3.99 and available now at a variety of etailers, including Kindle, Nook and Apple’s iBookstore. Its content is from Bloomberg Businessweek’s October 10 Steve Jobs tribute issue.

“The alliance between Hachette and Businessweek is notable because many media outlets — including the Los Angeles Times, Guardian and Hearst — have chosen to publish e-books that consist of repurposed content directly, rather than partnering with book publishers. Random House has partnered with RealClearPolitics and Politico to publish e-books about the 2012 election, but those will consist of new content.

“Book publishers themselves are also releasing e-singles directly — see recent offerings from Penguin, Rodale, Scholastic, Open Road and Princeton University Press.

“It remains unclear how these books are selling, with most publishers saying it’s too early to tell or that they’re still experimenting with selling content in the form.”

Read more here.