We are thrilled to announce the launch of direct-to-consumer audiobook and ebook sales. This exciting venture, supported through a partnership with Glassboxx, will allow for e-commerce purchases through our website—with browsing, reading, and listening supported by a new, reader-facing app. This development is the latest initiative in several years of active expansion across PUP platforms with growth that prioritizes community, user experience, and discoverability.
“We are dedicated to putting readers first in everything we do, a mission rooted in inclusivity, by giving them the opportunity to read in the format of their choice,” says Katie Hope PUP’s Director of Marketing and Sales. “As we looked to serve our readers by adding ebooks and audiobooks to our existing print offerings, we found Glassboxx to be the right partner to help us accomplish these goals. We want to ensure the best service and shopping experience possible and Glassboxx will help us achieve that.”
The availability of direct-to-reader e-commerce options for PUP’s ebooks and audiobooks, previously limited to print titles, follows the recent publication of the 100th title in PUP’s audio publishing program, Princeton Audio. This program publishes 20–25 frontlist titles annually, recent highlights include Viral Justice by Ruha Benjamin, narrated by Benjamin and with an exclusive Q&A with Ibram X. Kendi, and Jim Al-Khalili’s The Joy of Science, which is narrated by the author.
The introduction of direct-to-consumer sales for PUP’s ebooks and audiobooks also comes amid ongoing efforts to publish more of the Press’s extensive backlist catalog in audiobook. New and forthcoming releases as part of this initiative include Angie Debo’s And Still the Waters Run, an exposé of the tragic dispossession of Native American land by white settlers. Originally published in hardcover in 1973, it was republished in October 2022 in new ebook, paperback, and audio editions—narrated by Kyle Harper and with a new foreword by Amanda Cobb-Greetham. Published in 2015 in ebook and paperback as part of PUP’s Princeton Classics series, Frederick M. Cooper’s Racism: A Short History will be forthcoming in audio, narrated by John Chancer, in December 2022.
Addressing the availability of direct-to-consumer ebook and audiobook sales, PUP Director Christie Henry notes, “This new chapter enables us to fully integrate and amplify diverse digital channels, following several years of growth. Since 2018, we’ve collaborated with imaginative, experienced partners on the creation of a new website, the launch of our Princeton Audio program, and the ongoing evolution of list digitization. We learn so much from the community of PUP readers and listeners, and from invaluable partners like Glassboxx. We are excited and grateful for these vital exchanges.”
Glassboxx founder, Darin Brockman adds, “We’re proud to be welcoming Princeton University Press as part of the Glassboxx community and are looking forward to working with them in the future. With publishers like PUP striving to provide the best service for their users, we’re confident that a branded Glassboxx solution will give readers the seamless and intuitive experience they expect.”
The newly launched PUP ebook and audiobook app is available for iOS and Android phones and tablets. Questions about browsing and buying? Please read more here.
About Glassboxx
Glassboxx enables publishers and retailers to sell and deliver digital content (audio and ebooks) directly to readers with seamless Digital Rights Management. Launched in 2020, Glassboxx works with over 150 publishers globally and recently won the Independent Publishers Group (IPG) Award for Services to Independent Publishers.
About Princeton University Press
Founded in 1905, Princeton University Press is a nonprofit publisher with close connections to Princeton University. With offices in Beijing, Oxford, and Princeton, NJ, the Press brings influential voices and ideas to the world stage through their academic scholarship, advancing the frontiers of scholarly knowledge, and promoting the human conversation.