Digital publisher Open Air Publishing today announced that it closed an $800,000 seed round of financing, including investments from SV Angel, Charles River Ventures, and 500 Startups. The New York City-based startup builds interactive how-to books made for iPad®, iPhone®, and iPod touch®, each featuring video, slideshows, and other highly tappable content.

Since its launch in May 2011, the company has released four fully digital books for iPad. The funding announcement coincides with the release of all four titles for the iPhone: Master Your DSLR Camera, Speakeasy Cocktails, The Better Bacon Book, and Holiday Recipes & Party Planning Guide by FOOD52. Regularly priced from $4.99 to $9.99, every Open Air Publishing app has reached #1 or #2 in its category in the U.S. and dozens of other countries. All have cracked the U.S. top 100 overall rankings on the App Store(SM).

Investors participating in this seed round are: SV Angel, Charles River Ventures, 500 Startups, The Social+Capital Partnership, Richmond Park Partners, David Tisch (BoxGroup), Advancit Capital, DEV (Digital Entertainment Ventures), Graph Ventures, Red Swan, Lars Albright, Sam Stahl, and Josh Mohrer.

"The iOS platform invites a reinvention of the e-book, and Open Air Publishing is building tools and processes to define the publishing/studio hybrid model needed to make true e-book content," said Jon Feldman, Founder & CEO of Open Air Publishing. "We're excited to have this great group of investors and advisors on board as we hit our next phase of growth. We've doubled the team to six and plan to have nine new titles out by the end of this year."

"Our transition into the iPhone market gives us access to a market that is four times the size of the iPad's," Feldman said. "This launch will allow us to expand our reach to a larger and more diverse set of readers."

The iPhone apps feature all the same functionality of the iPad versions, but with the portability and accessibility of a smartphone. From the text to the videos to its top-notch design, all Open Air Publishing's books are made from scratch. Each features experts at the top of their respective fields, including a James Beard award-winning New York Times food editor, award-winning mixologists, and a Pulitzer-finalist photojournalist. Their books have been featured in the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, USA Today, TechCrunch, and Wired. Speakeasy Cocktails was Gizmodo's "App of the Week" and was named by Apple as one of the App Store's "Best Apps of 2011."

Open Air Publishing's books can all be purchased from the App Store. The books are powered by Inkling®, and built using Inkling Habitat, a powerful publishing environment for interactive content.

About Open Air Publishing:

Open Air Publishing produces original, how-to e-books designed exclusively for touchscreen devices like the iPad and iPhone. Its books allow readers to master new skills through touch, sight, and sound, guided by our extensive network of experts. Each title in its growing library is crafted to provide a high-quality, comprehensive experience that enhances the depth of a traditional book with premium multimedia elements. Open Air Publishing was founded in May 2011 and is based in New York City. www.openairpub.com