Amtrak and Penguin Random House have partnered to offer free ebook excerpts to passengers on the Boston to Washington, D.C. train, the Acela Express. Via Amtrak’s WiFi (AmTrakConnect) passengers can read excerpts of select titles, and if they like what they read, a ‘buy button’ is available to purchase the book.
The option to purchase will include links to several retailers, and Penguin Random House titles will include; The Power of Habit by Charles Duhigg , The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins , Everything I Never Told You by Celeste Ng , and Not That Kind of Girl by Lena Dunham ,and many others.
Christine McNamara, vice president and director of partnerships for PRH said in a press release: “We’re thrilled to work with Amtrak to share great books with readers. The partnership allows us to help thousands of train passengers each day discover their next book.”
This seems to be a trend, as last year Reader’s Entertainment reported, that Beijing, China was offering book titles on their subway system. JetBlue also partnered with HarperCollins to offer free ebooks via JetBlue’s Fly-Fi Hub, and those titles can be purchased in-flight from multiple retailers.
More details from Penguin’s Press Release:
Amtrak Acela Express passengers will have access to a selection of bestselling fiction and nonfiction from Penguin Random House, the exclusive book content partner for the launch of the newly redesigned AmtrakConnect® on-board Wi-Fi page. Acela Express customers using the Amtrak service between Boston and Washington, D.C., via New York and Philadelphia, will now be able to read more than twenty free excerpts from a variety of genres across all Penguin Random House’s adult imprints.
Readers will be able to preview excerpts from bestselling titles such as Gray Mountain by John Grisham, The Power of Habit by Charles Duhigg, The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins, Believer by David Axelrod, Ruby by Cynthia Bond (an Oprah Book Club 2.0 Pick), Everything I Never Told You by Celeste Ng, Not That Kind of Girl by Lena Dunham, Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? (And Other Concerns) by Mindy Kaling, Wild by Cheryl Strayed and others. Each excerpt will include buy buttons to enable customers to purchase any of the available titles from a variety of retailers, directly, while onboard.
“Reading for pleasure is an activity that many passengers look forward to during their rail journey. We’re thrilled to work with Amtrak to share great books with readers. The partnership allows us to help thousands of train passengers each day discover their next book,” said Christine McNamara , Vice President and Director of Partnerships on behalf of Penguin Random House.
In the coming months, this program will be rolled out onto all Northeast Regional trains that are Wi-Fi enabled, connecting every Amtrak rider directly with Penguin Random House books. As well, audio book content will be included for listening pleasure. The partnership will continue throughout the year, with updated selections as the titles publish.
“As part of our enhanced AmtrakConnect web page, Amtrak is delighted to have entered into a partnership with Penguin Random House,” said Lenetta McCampbell, Sr. Director of Passenger Experience. “Providing exclusively-free excerpts of today’s most popular titles is a great way to round out a platform that will keep passengers more entertained, and better-informed, and enjoy their journeys.”
