FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Elizabeth Kelley
Marketing Communications Manager
Auto-Graphics, Inc.
430 Vineyard Ave., Ste. 100
Ontario, CA 91764
909-569-1544
eak@auto-graphics.com
Auto-Graphics Partners with FastPencil to Power Libraries with Book Publishing Capabilities
Authors Can Now Design, Publish and Distribute Books in Print and Digital Formats Through Libraries for the First Time
POMONA, CA. — October 3, 2012 — Auto-Graphics, Inc., a leading provider of tools, technologies and services that enable libraries to create, manage and provide personalized access to print and digital collections, and FastPencil today announced a partnership that provides library patrons with access to FastPencil’s book publishing engine through its Library Management Platform™. Library members will have the ability to use FastPencil’s next-generation publishing platform to write, design, publish and sell books in print and digital formats directly through their local libraries.
“We are excited about the prospect of changing the way people view the role of their libraries and we believe that self publishing presents just that opportunity,” said Robert Brown, EVP of Auto-Graphics. “Libraries can now provide this resource to any would-be author, allowing them to create, publish and distribute their musings along-side the world’s finest authors in either a traditional or ebook format. Participating libraries now have the opportunity to redefine their role as true purveyors of content by delivering new avenues to educate and advance the greater community through the writings of anyone, regardless of their social or economic status.”
“FastPencil is thrilled to partner with Auto-Graphics, a highly-respected company with six decades of service, to provide library members across North America with our book publishing engine,” said Steve Wilson, FastPencil CEO and co-founder. “Eighty percent of people aspire to write a book in this country, and we are excited to have the opportunity to offer library members all the tools necessary to publish their story, no matter what it is.”
FastPencil’s platform provides aspiring and experienced authors with the technology to publish any quantity of books with ease, have control over their content, and enjoy higher margins for revenue and increased speed to market. To start, a select group of Auto-Graphics’ customers will have access to the publishing engine and over time, patrons of the 5,500 libraries working with Auto-Graphics will have the freedom and power to publish quality books. The service is available as a standalone product or seamlessly integrated into Auto-Graphics’ VERSO® ILS, SHAREit™ interlibrary loan solution or SEARCHit™ federated search product.
Through an easy-to-use interface, libraries will offer patrons five powerful features including:
- Connect: Collaborate easily and securely within the content management system and directly connect to publishing and retail industry leaders as well as social networking platforms.
- Write: Write, edit and manage projects on the web or from any device. Track revisions and version history and work with multiple editors and contributors.
- Convert: Using the Publishing Setup wizard, convert files into multiple formats for both print books and e-books to prepare for distribution into a variety of channels.
- Publish: Through the publishing module, directly upload files as a new project or write, convert and publish directly through the content management system. This module provides a unique ISBN number and distributes to hundreds of book retailers.
- Sell: Access an independent e-commerce and order fulfillment system through FastPencil’s Marketplace. Custom URLs and BookBuy widgets are automatically generated upon publishing to assist with marketing campaigns. Royalty reporting is captured and displayed on a dashboard.
Auto-Graphics’ solutions help public and private organizations manage their data so users can find and use the most relevant content available. Auto-Graphics partners with public and academic libraries as well as several types of special libraries, including legal, medical, research, government, museum and corporate libraries.
About FastPencil, Inc.
FastPencil powers publishing by enabling authors, publishers and enterprise customers to write, design, publish and sell books in print and digital formats through their proprietary Software as a Service (SaaS) platform. FastPencil’s next generation collaboration and distribution solutions produce quality books at any volume with simplicity, control, speed to market and higher margins. FastPencil also offers enterprises and publishers a customizable platform to create books, manage content and develop imprints for unique branding. Content from thousands of authors is managed under three publishing imprints: PREMIERE, Wavecrest and FastPencil.com. FastPencil PREMIERE houses a world-class, exclusive line of general interest titles by best-selling authors. The Wavecrest imprint offers packaged services and bookstore exposure to professional writers who have a strong community following and FastPencil.com is optimized for all do-it-yourself authors. For more information, please visit www.fastpencil.com.
About Auto-Graphics, Inc.
Auto-Graphics is the only publicly-traded library software vendor to provide software solutions along with full financial transparency. The company’s nearly seven (7) decades of providing solutions to the markets it serves reflects how well Auto-Graphics has listened to their customer base and stayed abreast of new technologies, continuously reinventing their products and services to help libraries of all sizes become more efficient and patron-centric. The Auto-Graphics browser-based Library Management Platform for patrons and staff – currently used by more than 11,000 libraries in North America – is comprised of SHAREit®, a Web-based resource sharing solution providing patron-initiated sharing, circulation-based interlibrary loan (ILL) using NCIP and consortial borrowing solutions; VERSO®, an integrated public library system (ILS); SEARCHit®, a federated search and discovery module; SLIMS™, a small library information management system, and MONTAGEdc®, a digital asset management (DAM) solution. All products are fully Web and cloud-based products which are compliant with ISO and NISO standards, and are available via a Software as a Service (SaaS) subscription. For more information, please visit please visit www.auto-graphics.com, Facebook, LinkedIn or Twitter. Auto-Graphics trades under the stock symbol AIFS.
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© Auto-Graphics, Inc. All rights reserved.
VERSO®, SHAREit®, SEARCHit®, MONTAGEdc®, & SLIMS™ are trademarks of Auto-Graphics, Inc and part of their AGent Library Platform.
All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.
President
Customer Service Manager
Product Manager – VERSO
Product Manager, SHAREit
Chief Technology Officer
Chief Operations Officer
Mr. Hicks, CPA, has been a director since February 2012. Mr. Hicks is Chairman of the Audit Committee. Mr. Hicks has been a practicing certified public accountant for over twenty-five years in addition to partnering and managing both an underground construction company and real estate development business. Currently, Mr. Hicks is a founder and senior partner of Hicks & Williams, LLP a certified public accounting firm providing tax, audit and management consulting services to small and medium size clients across the nation.
Vice President of Sales
Mr. Heath has been a director since December 2012. Mr. Heath immigrated to California from Canada during the Internet commerce boom in 1999. Mr. Heath was formerly Vice President, Secondary Markets at Best Buy (2008-2010) and founded Dealtree.com in 1999, where he was CTO & COO from (2001-2010). Mr. Heath has developed expert system technologies for managing online sales channels and created several online marketplaces supporting secondary market sales. Mr. Heath is an Internet technology and business operations consultant and serves as President of Heath Investment Properties LLC. Mr. Heath is an active member of Rotary, and currently serves a Technology Director for District 5320 in Southern California.
Dr. Murphy has been a director since December 2012. He has over 20 years experience as a successful software executive specializing in high-growth SaaS companies. He currently is CEO of GVNG Technology and Practitioner of Strategy at the Pepperdine Graziadio Business School. Dr. Murphy is an active member on the board of directors for several early-stage and private equity owned companies. He received his MBA from Pepperdine University and his Doctor of Business Administration (DBA) from the Alliance Manchester Business School at The University of Manchester.
Ken Kerr has been a director since April 2020. During his career, he served in a variety of leadership positions in sales, marketing, and operations with companies in startup, turnaround, and expansion. Most recently he was CEO/CFO of Advisys, Inc., a SaaS company providing financial planning solutions to Fortune 100 banks, brokerages and insurance companies, and thousands of independent financial advisers. He retired from Advisys in 2018 and now consults with businesses to improve profits and productivity through effective employee engagement strategies. Ken graduated Cum Laude from UCLA with a bachelor’s degree in English Literature and has an MBA with an emphasis in Technology Management from the University of Phoenix.
Director of Customer Service and Quality Assurance
Controller
Product Manager, SHAREit – Customer Services
Product Manager, VERSO – Technical Services
Director of Information Technology