A friend is writing a book about library governance which we were talking about over dinner recently.  She mentioned that her contract with the publisher includes developing a "companion website" for the book.  Curious, I pressed for more information.

Apparently some publishers are building companion websites for their books for several reasons.  One, it is a way to keep books current, as information can be updated or added easily on the web.  Two, it allows them to provide corrollary materials for readers without increasing neither the length of the book nor cost of printing .  I asked for an example and she directed me to Libraries Unlimited.  In the left navigation bar, you'll find a Book Companion Websites link. 

I sampled one book called "Creating Online Courses and Orientations," by Pamela Bacon and David Bagwell, Jr.  Ms. Bacon wrote this for her own students and now offers to help others teach library and information resources use.  Like most book sites, there's a description of the book and way to purchase it online.  What's different is that right there in the left nav bar, free and open to anyone, are reproducible materials:  lesson planning sheet, worksheets, grading sheet, feedback form--even a colorful PowerPoint presentation.

Intrigued, I Googled "books + companion websites" and found many examples of this, primarily in nonfiction or resource books (many in the education field).  Guess I'm behind the times, but I find this is a really interesting direction in publishing and another example of the Internet's influence and effect. One more trend to watch.