FlatWorld is a publisher of college-level textbooks and educational supplements.[1] The company was founded in 2007 as Flat World Knowledge by Eric Frank and Jeff Shelstad.[2]
History
In 2007, Flat World Knowledge was founded by Jeff Shelstad and Eric Frank in Nyack, New York.[3] By August 2009, Flat World textbooks had been adopted at 400 colleges for use by 40,000 students.[4][5] In 2010, Flat World Knowledge moved from Nyack to Irvington, New York.[6] It had been adopted by more than 1,300 educators as of that year.[7]
The company received $8 million in funding from investors in 2010.[8][9][10] In January 2011, the company received an additional $15 million in funding from investors.[11][12]
The company originally offered every textbook published free using online delivery under the open content paradigm,[13] but in November 2012, the company announced that it would no longer offer free access to textbooks.[14]
In late 2016, Flat World Knowledge was acquired by Alastair Adam and John Eielson and rebranded as FlatWorld.[15]
See also
References
- ^ Lim, Ronald S. (October 1, 2010). ""The World is Flat – Even in Publishing."". Manila Bulletin. Archived from the original on 2010-10-04.
- ^ Lener, Edward; Dillon, Cy (January 2010). ""Building a Better Model: Eric Frank on Flat World Knowledge."" (PDF). Virginia Libraries. pp. 5–9.
- ^ Carpenter, Mason A. (2010). ""Flat World Knowledge: Creating a Global Revolution in College Textbooks!"". Social Science Research Network. SSRN 1588144.
- ^ Oshiro, Dana (August 20, 2009). ""Open Textbooks Gaining Ground: Flat World in 400 Colleges."". Read Write Web. Archived from the original on 2010-07-02.
- ^ Hoover, Lisa (March 25, 2009). ""Flat World Knowledge Offers Open Source-Style College Textbooks."". Gigaom Ostatic. Archived from the original on 2023-09-29.
- ^ Ferris, Marc (October 20, 2010). ""Irvington Publishers Shaking Up the Textbook Industry."". Rivertowns Patch. Archived from the original on 2011-07-15.
- ^ Kolowicz, Steve (October 1, 2010). ""A Call for Open Textbooks."". Inside Higher Ed. Archived from the original on 2010-10-02.
- ^ ""Flat World Knowledge Secures $700,000 in Funding."". EdNet Insight. October 21, 2008.
- ^ Rosenberg, Dave (March 26, 2009). ""Maker of 'open,' free textbooks raises $8 million."". Cnet.com. Archived from the original on 2012-10-24.
- ^ Ricketts, Camille (March 24, 2009). ""Flat World Knowledge Lands $8M for Online College Textbooks". VentureBeat.
- ^ Purkiss, Alan. "Bertelsmann Puts Cash Into College Textbook Publisher, FT Says." Bloomberg. January 20, 2011.
- ^ Edgecliffe-Johnson, Andrew. "Bertelsmann Backs Open Textbook Publisher." Financial Times. January 20, 2011.
- ^ Wong, Chin. "Textbooks for free." Manila Standard Today. September 28, 2010.
- ^ Howard, Jennifer (3 November 2012). "Flat World Knowledge to Drop Free Access to Textbooks". Chronicle of Higher Education. Retrieved 2 September 2013.
- ^ Reid, Calvin. "FlatWorld Returns to Its Roots". PublishersWeekly.com. Retrieved 2025-03-16.
External links
- Digital Textbook Sales in U.S. Higher Education — A Five-Year Projection by Rob Reynolds. ("Factors within the Publishing and Education Markets Affecting the Sales of Digital Textbooks" section and trend charts) Explana. 2010.
- "A Cover to Cover Solution: How Open Textbooks are the Path to Textbook Affordability." Original research report by Nicole Allen of The Student PIRGs.
- Creative Commons Talks With Student PIRGs’ Nicole Allen: "Open Education and Policy." October 14, 2010.
- "Get Rid of Print and Go Digital" by Anya Kamenetz in the New York Times. August 16, 2010.
