Borders.com Now Offering Thousands of Audiobook Downloads in MP3 Format

ANN ARBOR, Mich.—Borders Audiobook Downloads—a new audiobook download service—debuts today on Borders.com, offering an initial 15,000 titles, including fiction and non-fiction bestsellers, classics, self-help and children’s books, among other categories. Each week, hundreds of new titles will be added to the online catalog of audiobook titles, augmenting the vast selection of audiobooks on CD that are available in Borders stores and online. At launch, more than 5,000 of the listed titles are available in MP3 format, a digital format that is universally compatible with all MP3 players, including iPods. Leading digital audiobook distributor OverDrive provides both the inventory and the underlying technology for the new Borders.com service.

To introduce the service, beginning tomorrow July 15 and continuing through July 19, customers can download free of charge Jon Krakauer’s “Into the Wild” in MP3 format. In addition, the 15 popular titles listed below are being offered at the discounted price of $9.95 through July 22.

· “Lord of the Flies” by William Golding

· “In Cold Blood” by Truman Capote

· “Beloved” by Toni Morrison

· “The Logic of Life” by Tim Harford

· “Twilight” by Stephenie Meyer

· “The Martian Chronicles” by Ray Bradbury

· “The Snow Flower” and the Secret Fan by Lisa See

· “The Eight” by Katherine Neville

· “Fortress of Solitude” by Jonathan Lethem

· “Into the Wild” by Jon Krakauer (available free July 15 through July 19 and then for the promotional price of $9.95 until July 22)

· “The Traveler” by John Twelve Hawks

· “The Appeal” by John Grisham

· “The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy” by Douglas Adams

· “A Short History of Nearly Everything” by Bill Bryson

· “The Audacity of Hope: Thoughts on Reclaiming the American Dream” by Barack Obama

In addition to offering the new audiobook download service on Borders.com, a similar service is available in Borders’ new concept stores where the audiobook download service is provided via self-serve computer stations within specially designated Digital Centers in the stores. Borders will have 14 concept stores nationwide by the end of 2008 and has 10 of the new stores in operation now.

“With the launch of Borders Audiobook Downloads on Borders.com, the availability of the download service in our concept stores, and the option to buy audiobooks on CD, we are giving customers what no other book retailer does—the ability to enjoy this great form of entertainment in a variety of formats including the universally compatible MP3 format,” said Kevin Ertell, senior vice president of e-business for Borders Group. “We look forward to growing our audiobook catalog so that customers always have access to the best selection of audiobooks available.”

“Borders is redefining the retail experience for booklovers with their new audiobook download service,” said Steve Potash, president and CEO of OverDrive. “We’re proud to team with this industry leader to provide a cutting edge service that allows anytime, anywhere access to thousands of bestselling titles for use with iPods and other MP3 players.”