Wilmington startup targeting ebook subscriptions launches with $5.3M in funding

Entitle, a new company launched by Wilmington resident Bryan Batten, formally burst onto the ebook scene Monday with a new subscription service for ebooks, contracts with major publishers – and a big investor.

The startup rolled out its service, which offers ebooks at discounts and includes recommendations for further reading, with a formal announcement and the disclosure that it had raised $5.3 million in funding.

Bryan Batten, the founder and chief executive officer of the new venture, isn’t disclosing who provided the funding.

However, a spokesperson for Entitle says the investor is an “angel” who provided all the funding.

“We’ve created a unique service that combines quality and quantity while at the same time allowing our members to realize great savings on the books they want to read,” said Batten in the announcement.

Batten chose to locate his venture in Wilmington where he lives and has been developing the concept for Entitle since 2011.

The service, which was initially known as eReatah, emerged in part due to Batten’s own difficulties in finding ebooks, the spokesperson said.

Entitle also has developed a recommendation service to help subscribers find other books they might like.

“More than simply looking at what you’ve read, the system intelligently monitors and analyzes the content of what books hold your attention and your progress and helps you find your next great read,” Entitle explained.

Recommendation features include:

If These Books Had a Baby: Select two of your favorite eBooks, and we’ll predict another you’re sure to love.
Curated Collections: eBook collections are carefully assembled by our Entitle team.
Recommendation Station: eBooks recommended based on your reading history.
Browse & Search: Exploring our online selection is simple and fun. Can’t find what you’re looking for? Use our advanced search tool.

Numerous Partners

Entitle may be new but it is launching with contracts that are bringing high-profile authors and big-selling books to subscribers. “Entitle is the only eBook subscription company to secure content deals with more than one of the major corporate publishers,” the firm said in its announcement.

Readers pay $14.99 a month to read up to two books, and $21.99 for three books. Four books are available for those heavy readers at $27.99.

Books also can be read on up to six devices.

Plus, Entitle says, subscribers retain permanent access to books they download.

At launch, the company has more than 100,000 titles with such publishers as: