A new business calls Oxford home, and it plans on capitalizing on a rapid growing market for its product, electronic books ? books or novels in a digital format on a computer.
Agora Enterprises is pleased to announce that it launched it’s online company Agora International eBooks on July 31.
The company is focusing on the increasing demand for quality books in a digitized format. Based in Oxford, the company’s goal is to help bring people into the digital age of reading.
The idea for selling eBooks came to CEO of Agora International Donald Jones in 1994. Jones, whose family is from Oxford, realized that he was a little ahead of his time. Since then, online shopping giants Amazon and Ebay helped usher in the digital age.
‘The digital age should do for publishing what Gutenberg did for printing. It is our goal to help make that happen,? said Jones in a press release.
‘We wanted to be able to keep up with the increasing technology,? said Paul Jones, son of CEO Donald Jones
One of the attractive features about an eBook is that it is half the cost of a hard or softcover book, while at the same time managing to pay the author the same amount for quality manuscripts as other publishers.
With the average price of a regular eBook starting at seven dollars, Agora International looks to save consumers money by pricing their eBooks from three to five dollars.
‘There is no reason that an eBook should cost as much as a hard copy,? said Paul Jones, son of CEO Donald Jones. ‘The typical eBook will market for the same price as its paperback or hardcover counterpart. We at Agora consider this to be bad business, if not unethical.?
Another factor in the popularity of eBooks is accessibility of them. They can be downloaded onto a computer, laptop, or onto an eReader, a device that can hold up to one hundred thousand eBooks at one time.
‘I’m currently in the middle of reading three books,? said Paul Jones. ‘Having each book at my instant access, I am able to pick and choose which book I want to read depending on what kind of mood I am in.?
Since Agora International deals with eBooks, it is proud of the fact that it is a 100 percent tele-commuting company, making it both fiscally and environmentally efficient.
Agora International is not standing pat and going after local and regional talent, they are branching out and going after international talent, attempting to put the ‘Worldwide? back into the Worldwide Web.
Agora International already has six authors, ranging from Italy and Britain, Australia, Canada and throughout the United States, under contract with eight books that are ready for their audiences enjoyment. The books range from science fiction to romance, mystery to horror, and there is even a comedy.
Currently in stock are Right Under Her Nose by LeAnn Coston, Scott Fivelson’s Tuxes, Temporary Intrique by Judy Hutson, Emma Kaufmann’s Confessions of a Cake Addict, Mark Love’s Fade Away and Balancing Act, and Dawn Prochilo’s On Her Own and Crape Myrtle.
Agora International has recently signed two more books, Branson’s Beauty by LeAnn Coston and Wolfskin by Emila Flocamo. For more information, please visit www.internationalagora.com.