The Crowdfunding of eBooks: Unglue.it Formally Launches This Thursday

A couple of days ago we posted a link to a new interview with the Founder and President of GlueJar (provider of Unglue.it), Eric Hellman.
Now, a blog post from lets all of us know that the Unglue.it site/database/platform will formally launch in two days (Thursday, May 17, 2012) at Noon EDT but you can take a look around right now.
For those unfamiliar with GlueJar/Unglue.it here’s the bottom line direct from Eric Hellman’s Blog Post:

If you’ve not been paying attention, Unglue.it is an effort to crowd-fund creative commons ebooks. If you can find a way to cover the fixed costs, you can make the ebooks free to everyone, everywhere. Libraries, who can make possible the effective distribution of these ebooks, are tired of being shut out of popular ebook lending and need new ways forward.
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If you want, you can help us test the site. You can enter a pledge (remember, it’s real money!) and request premiums. Whether you pledge or not, you’ll end up with a real ebook with a CC BY-SA license. You can make derivatives, add content, make translations, experiment. (But you might need to wait a week or two to get it). We’ll use any cash we take in to cover some expenses (like the block of ISBNs that we bought. My lawyer says we can’t offer premiums that include alcohol, but she didn’t say I couldn’t let people hit me up for a beer.

We wish Eric, Andromeda, and the rest of the Unglue.it team the best of luck with this new and innovative venture.
See Also: Learn a Lot More About How Unglue.it Works
See Also: A Crowdfunded Approach To Setting E-Books Free (via paidContent)
Andromeda Yelton Speaks on The Future of eBooks at Computers in Libraries 2012

See Also: More Unglue.it Video Presentations and Press

Filed under: Interviews, Libraries, Profiles, Publishing