The Wylie Agency has created an imprint called Odyssey Editions that will sell ebook-only backlist editions of its high-end clientele. The deal with Amazon will run for two years and be exclusive. The books will sell for two years and the titles have not been in electronic format before.
Some of the titles include: The Adventures of Augie March by Saul Bellow, The Stories of John Cheever, Invisible Man by Ralph Ellison, The Naked and the Dead by Norman Mailer, Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov, Midnight’s Children by Salman Rushdie, John Updike’s Rabbit series and Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas by Hunter Thompson.
Wylie told the NY Times: “The fact remains that backlist digital rights were not conveyed to publishers, and so there’s an opportunity to do something with those rights.” He added that the terms reached with Amazon were “more favorable” than terms most other larger publishers are offering for e-book rights.
For more info see Shelf Awareness.
Alas, unfortunately not in Canada. This geo-restriction thing is really starting to get to me. Digital age my a$$.
Actually, the Rabbit series have been in ebook format before. I bought the series from eReader I believe and they were done my Rosetta Stone.
Actually, looks like they’re all available, except Amis’ book in Canada now. Glad to see. Given the Wylie list of clients we should be in for some good reading. Bring us Calvino.
While Amazon is certainly the juggernaut of E right now, this choice limits access.
The adobe Digital Editions group (B&N, Borders/Kobo, Sony and the OverDrive library system), not to mention Apple, make up a significant portion of eBook sales from what I’ve been reading about percentages of eBook sales this year.