Pope's Encyclical Launches Publisher's Expansion in Electronic and Audio Books

Pope's Encyclical Launches Publisher's Expansion in Electronic and Audio Books

SAN FRANCISCO, July 7 /Christian Newswire/ -- Ignatius Press, the primary English-language publisher of the works of Pope Benedict XVI (Joseph Ratzinger), is now publishing its titles in three formats -- print, electronic, and audio -- beginning with today's release of Pope Benedict's new encyclical, Charity in Truth, on the world economy.

"As we release Charity in Truth -- obviously a very important document, given the far-reaching economic crisis -- we want it to be as widely accessible as possible," said Jesuit Father Joseph Fessio, Editor and Founder of Ignatius Press, and former student of Joseph Ratzinger.

Releasing the encyclical in three formats is part of Ignatius Press' expansion of its work into electronic and audio publishing.

"It's important that people have as many options as possible to read or hear it. Because we believe the other writings we publish are also important, we want to make them available in all three formats, too. So it makes sense that we would launch the new program with the publication of Benedict's new encyclical and rapidly expand the program as we can," Father Fessio noted.

Ignatius Press remains committed to the traditional print book--its publications use high-quality paper and first-rate bindings, as well as beautiful covers. Nevertheless, as preferences of book readers diversify, the San Francisco-based publisher is diversifying its offerings to include electronic and audio editions. As new books are published, Ignatius Press plans to make them available in the three major formats.

Along with the publication of Benedict XVI's Charity in Truth, Ignatius Press is adding to its print editions electronic and audio versions of the Pope's previous encyclicals, God is Love and Saved in Hope. Already the publisher has over two dozen electronic and audio books available in Kindle and other formats. The plan is to add weekly to its offerings as its extensive backlist is converted.

"We want to make sure that as many people as possible can obtain our books," according to Father Fessio. "These additional formats help us to widen our audience."

For more information on Ignatius Press' electronic and audio editions of Pope Benedict's Love in Truth and other works, go to www.popebenedictxvibooks.com or www.ignatius.com .

San Francisco-based Ignatius Press, founded in 1978, is one of the largest Catholic publishers in the world. Ignatius Press is the primary English-language publisher of Pope Benedict XVI. Dedicated to publishing and distributing information on the Catholic faith, Ignatius Press publishes over 40 books each year (with over 1,800 titles in print), and produces and licenses many fine films for distribution in North America. Its author-roster includes some of the foremost names in the Catholic Church. Ignatius Press is also the publisher of Catholic World Report and Homiletic & Pastoral Review magazines. www.ignatius.com