HarperCollins signs up to book subscription firm Scrib'd NEWS Corp's HarperCollins Publishers has agreed to make available the majority of its US backlist titles to web-based books subscription service Scrib'd. The move increases the number of titles available on Scribd's subscription service to more than 50,000 available from traditional publishers, Scrib'd said. But HarperCollins isn't making its new titles available, which could limit the service's appeal. Neither side would disclose the precise number of older books coming from HarperCollins. Scrib'd is one of a number of online book-subscription programs emerging, as technology executives explore whether the success of subscription offerings in music and television can be emulated with books. "We want to be the Netflix of books," said Trip Adler, chief executive of Scrib'd, a San Francisco-based company that is closely held by its founders and a small group of equity investors. Scrib'd offers unlimited access to its titles for $8.99 a month. The company, whose online platform hosts e-books and documents from numerous sources, also will sell new and backlist titles from all HarperCollins's US imprints. Other publishers providing books to the Scrib'd subscription service include Kensington Publishing Corp, which is providing new and old titles. "We're interested in exploring the subscription model and seeing how it performs," said Kensington chief executive Steve Zacharius. Among other new subscription services is a company called Oyster, which launched in September. Oyster subscribers paying $9.95 a month have unlimited access to more than 100,000 titles. North Carolina-based eReatah is expected to launch later this month with 90,000 new and old titles from traditional publishers. Unlike Scrib'd and Oyster, eReatah will offer a tiered pricing approach. HarperCollins has struck deals to supply a limited number of titles to both eReatah and Oyster. CBS's Simon & Schuster has also struck a deal to supply books to eReatah. But most other major publishers have been wary about striking deals with subscription services, worried about cannibalizing book sales. Book executives also question whether consumers will embrace such subscription services, particularly as the new services have limited books available, particularly among new releases. "If somebody wants the new Stephen King or John Grisham, and they can't get it, they'll go somewhere else," said Carol Fitzgerald, president of the Book Report, a closely held company that operates a network of websites connecting books and readers. Also, can't people do this through their local library and get whatever they want? HarperCollins isn't providing new titles to Scrib'd subscription users. "I don't know if it makes sense strategically to include new books," said HarperCollins CEO Brian Murray, noting the potential for conflict with book retailers. HarperCollins is a unit of News Corp, which also owns The Wall Street Journal and The Australian. Mr Murray added that he considered the agreement with Scrib'd to be significant because of its "huge installed base of active users and its global reach." Scrib'd claims 80 million active users and is available in 100 countries.