TORONTO and NEW YORK, June 1 /PRNewswire/ --

North Plains Systems, Inc., the leading provider of digital asset
management (DAM) and publishing solutions, today announced that Hachette Book
Group (HBG) will implement North Plains' revolutionary TeleScope Publishing
Platform(TM) (TPP). The new agreement will provide HBG with an unprecedented
ability to manage their entire asset lifecycle from editorial, typesetting,
eBook creation, promotion through to the distribution and monetization of
their books.

The 'game-changing' introduction of TPP completely revolutionizes the
publishing process by removing the need for conventional typesetting and
editorial mark up. Delivering up to a staggering tenfold reduction in page
production costs and up to 75% reduction in production times - publishers,
like HBG, can now quickly, cost-effectively and automatically produce quality
PDFs and eBooks from a single, centralized and secure platform.

"The TeleScope Publishing Platform represents an exciting evolution for
the publishing industry," said Ken Michaels, COO, Hachette Book Group. "It is
the result of our strong relationship with North Plains over the years and
their deep understanding of the opportunities and challenges publishers like
HBG face. This solution addresses every aspect of our digital publishing
workflow from creation to distribution and the ultimate sale of our content.
Streamlining our production workflows will give us the ability to capitalize
on emerging revenue opportunities."

The TPP's modular nature gives publishers the option to choose the area
of their business that they would most like to improve, while a full
deployment would provide a completely integrated publishing solution.
Achieving all this with existing solutions would require a complex and
expensive integration exercise with several separate vendors, cobbled
together in a somewhat precarious design.

The TeleScope Publishing Platform is the direct result of over 15 years
of experience working closely with a cross section of the industry's leading
publisher organizations. It is North Plains' passion, vision and proven
ability for bringing innovative publishing solutions to market that continues
to drive its unmatched pioneering spirit - raising the technology bar to
previously unimaginable heights.

"By partnering together, North Plains and HBG further solidify our
respective leadership positions in the publishing industry," said Hassan
Kotob, President and CEO, North Plains Systems, Inc.. "This partnership is a
milestone event for both organizations and underscores the industry's need
for truly innovative publishing solutions that produce real, tangible and
significant operational benefits."

In addition to announcing the arrival of its new TPP offering, North
Plains will now provide publishing services that include the digitization of
books, typesetting and eBook creation, among other things. Now publishers can
access North Plains' outsource services to reduce production times and
overall costs while building in scalability to meet emerging revenue
opportunities.

North Plains will be showcasing the TeleScope Publishing Platform at
BookExpo America and the Henry Stewart shows this week in New York City.

The TeleScope Publishing Platform

The TPP is a logical extension of North Plains' award-winning TeleScope
Digital Asset Management Platform. Currently used by some of the largest and
most respected publishers, TeleScope helps orchestrate and manage every
aspect of the publishing process from creative through to digital book
completion and archiving. The demand for eBooks, audio books and other
digital products is expanding - which makes having a solution built on a
single platform an essential component of every publisher's digital workflow
process and IT infrastructure.

About Hachette Book Group

Hachette Book Group (http://www.hachettebookgroup.com/) is a major US
trade publisher owned by Hachette Livre, the second largest publisher in the
world. In one year, HBG publishes approximately 600 adult books, 150 young
adult and children's books, and 65 audio book titles. In 2008, the company
had a record 107 books on the New York Times bestseller list, 35 of which
reached #1. In addition to selling and distributing its own imprints, HBG
distributes publishing lines for Arcade, Chronicle Books, Filipacchi
Publishing, Gildan Audio, Harry N. Abrams, InnovativeKids, Microsoft Press,
Octopus USA, Phaidon Press, Time Inc. Home Entertainment (including Oxmoor
House and Guiness World Records), and Weinstein Books.

About North Plains Systems, Inc.

Founded in 1994, North Plains Systems, Inc. is the world's leading
provider of digital and video asset management solutions. With a portfolio of
over 475 satisfied customers, North Plains' TeleScope platform streamlines
the complexity of managing increasingly challenging digital asset
environments. From centralized workflow optimization, asset creation,
production and virtual collaboration, to delivery and distribution, North
Plains provides end-to-end solutions that scale to meet your unique business
requirements. Benefit from North Plains' proven deployment expertise and join
its growing list of global customers, including: AOL, Boeing, Bowling Green
State University, Gallaudet University, Harcourt, HarperCollins Publishers,
Microsoft, Ogilvy and Mather, Playboy, Publicis Groupe, Publishers Clearing
House, Rodale Inc., Sony Pictures Entertainment, The Utah Education Network,
Viacom, and Warner Bros. For further information please visit
www.northplains.com.

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