About OBS

In today’s content-driven world, there are almost too many ways to convey a book’s message to the global market: eBooks, mobile apps, and custom software solutions are just a few examples. OBS advocates the “content imperative” – the idea that innovation in the publishing industry must be driven by publishers’ content, not by technology alone. Your e-publishing strategy should serve your content’s needs, not the other way around.

OBS began as a traditional print-based publishing services company, so we know from experience about the potential disconnect between a publisher’s needs and the solutions technology offers. We are uniquely situated to bridge that gap: our experience as a proprietary software developer gives us the technological skills to effectively communicate and collaborate with technology vendors. We have experience on both sides, and can speak both languages – but our motivation and inspiration come from you, the publisher, and getting your unique and valuable content to market.

You can trust OBS’s 30-year history of innovation and accomplishment. Consider some of our “firsts” from the early days of the Internet:

  • First trade book about the Internet, 1992
  • First online bookstore on the Internet, 1992
  • First “live online” poetry reading, by Pulitzer Prize–winning poet John Ashbery, 1992
  • First company to publish Stephen King online, 1993
  • First online virtual book signing, 1993
  • First sale of online content by clearing a credit card online, 1993
  • First online rights auction at the Frankfurt Book Fair, 1994

Since then, we’ve helped authors, publishers, educational institutions, and medical, financial, and government organizations develop custom publishing strategies to maximize their content’s online earning potential, as well as increase their own productivity. Browse our Solutions page to learn more about our flexible e-publishing solutions, or read some of our case studies detailing past and ongoing e-publishing projects.

Our company began as a division of Editorial Inc. (founded in 1982), and was incorporated in 1994 as Online BookStore (OBS), Ltd. In 1996, Online BookStore became Open Book Systems, Inc., reflecting our mission: to harness the Internet as a revolutionary publishing platform and educational environment, while maintaining the high standards of accuracy and aesthetics that are critical to the traditional, paper-based publishing industry. Located in Rockport, Massachusetts, OBS is a privately held, independent publishing services company.

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