FlatWorld is a

publisher Publishing is the activity of making information, literature, music, software and other content available to the public for sale or for free. Traditionally, the term refers to the creation and distribution of printed works, such as books, newsp ...

of college-level

textbooks A textbook is a book containing a comprehensive compilation of content in a branch of study with the intention of explaining it. Textbooks are produced to meet the needs of educators, usually at educational institutions. Schoolbooks are textbook ...

and educational supplements for a worldwide audience founded in 2007 as Flat World Knowledge by Eric Frank and Jeff Shelstad. It was acquired at the end of 2016 by Alastair Adam and John Eielson and its company headquarters was moved from Washington, DC, to Boston, Massachusetts. Following this acquisition, the company rebranded as FlatWorld. __TOC__

Company history

In 2007, Flat World Knowledge was founded by Jeff Shelstad and Eric Frank in

Nyack, New York Nyack () is a Village (New York), village located primarily in the Town (New York), town of Orangetown, New York, Orangetown in Rockland County, New York, Rockland County, New York (state), New York, United States. Incorporated in 1872, it retai ...

. By August 2009, Flat World textbooks had been adopted at 400 colleges for use by 40,000 students. In 2010, Flat World Knowledge moved from Nyack, New York to

Irvington, New York Irvington, sometimes known as Irvington-on-Hudson,Staff (ndg"The Irvington Gazette (Irvington-On-Hudson, N.Y.) 1907-1969"Library of Congress is a suburban village in the town of Greenburgh in Westchester County, New York, United States. It is loca ...

. That year, Flat World Knowledge claimed that they would save 150,000 college students $12 million in textbook costs in the 2010–2011 school year after adoptions by more than 1,300 educators as of August 2010. FlatWorld secured $11.5 million in investments through 2010, including an initial $700k angel investment. In January 2011, $15 million in Series B funding led by

Bertelsmann Bertelsmann SE & Co. KGaA () is a German private multinational conglomerate corporation based in Gütersloh, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is one of the world's largest media conglomerates, and is also active in the service sector and ...

Digital Media Investments (BDMI), a wholly owned subsidiary of

AG, and

Bessemer Venture Partners Bessemer Venture Partners (Bessemer) is an American venture capital firm. The firm has over $19 billion under management and invests globally, with offices in San Francisco, Redwood City, New York City, Boston, Israel, India, and London. Bessemer ...

was announced. Returning investors for Series B funding include Valhalla Partners, GSA Venture Partners (formerly Greenhill SAVP), Primary Venture Partners and several

angel investors An angel investor (also known as a business angel, informal investor, angel funder, private investor, or seed investor) is an individual who provides capital for a business or businesses start-up, usually in exchange for convertible debt or owners ...

Random House Random House is an American book publisher and the largest general-interest paperback publisher in the world. The company has several independently managed subsidiaries around the world. It is part of Penguin Random House, which is owned by Germ ...

also announced an investment in Flat World Knowledge in April, 2011. The company originally offered every textbook published free using online delivery under the open content paradigm, but in November 2012, the company announced that it would no longer offer free access to textbooks. In late 2016, Flat World Knowledge was acquired by Alastair Adam and John Eielson and rebranded as FlatWorld.

Accessibility and regulatory issues

Flat World Knowledge textbooks have been developed for

accessible publishing Accessible publishing is an approach to publishing and book design whereby books and other texts are made available in alternative formats designed to aid or replace the reading process. It is particularly relevant for people who are blind, visua ...

. Flat World Knowledge partnered with Bookshare to provide books using an electronic

Braille Braille (Pronounced: ) is a tactile writing system used by people who are visually impaired, including people who are Blindness, blind, Deafblindness, deafblind or who have low vision. It can be read either on Paper embossing, embossed paper ...

format. Flat World was the first postsecondary textbook publisher to recognize and alleviate this problem.

Sustainability

Digital textbook and course material formats offer

sustainability Specific definitions of sustainability are difficult to agree on and have varied in the literature and over time. The concept of sustainability can be used to guide decisions at the global, national, and individual levels (e.g. sustainable livi ...

advantages over traditional paper textbooks. According to a publishing industry study, an estimated "net

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emission of 8.85 pounds per book s created for each paper booksold to consumers."Milliot, Ji
"Toward a Greener Future. (Cover story)."
Publishers Weekly 255, no. 10 March 10, 2008 pp. 26–32. In 2010–2011, approximately 57.5% of students using FlatWorld texts opted for entirely digital delivery. As of fall 2011, 70% of students opt for digital formats, significantly reducing the ecologic footprint from textbook use when compared to the historic paper textbook format.Kolowich, Steve

(Analog innovations section) ''USA Today.'' August 31, 2010.Cooper, Tanika
"Free Online Textbooks Becoming a Reality."
''Daily Nebraskan,'' University of Nebraska, via UWire: The College Network. July 26, 2010.

References

External links

Digital Textbook Sales in U.S. Higher Education — A Five-Year Projection
by Rob Reynolds. ("Factors within the Publishing and Education Markets Affecting the Sales of Digital Textbooks" section and trend charts) Explana. 2010.
"A Cover to Cover Solution:
How Open Textbooks are the Path to Textbook Affordability." Original research report by Nicole Allen of The Student PIRGs.
Creative Commons Talks With Student PIRGs’ Nicole Allen:
"Open Education and Policy." October 14, 2010.
"Get Rid of Print and Go Digital"
by Anya Kamenetz in the ''New York Times.'' August 16, 2010. {{Authority control Book publishing companies based in New York (state) Textbook publishing companies Open content Academic publishing companies Publishing companies of the United States Electronic publishing Creative Commons-licensed works Publishing companies established in 2007 American companies established in 2007 2007 establishments in New York (state) Open educational resources Open access publishers

Company history

Accessibility and regulatory issues

Sustainability

See also

References

External links