Ebook publishing trailblazer E-Reads has been taken over by Open Road in a move which will add 1,200 titles with a science fiction speciality to the Open Road roster of 4,000 books.
E-Reads was set in 1999 by literary agent Richard Curtis and is the oldest independent digital publisher while Open Road started up in 2009, co-founded by Jane Friedman who had been CEO of Harper Collins, and now claims to be the biggest independent ebook publisher.
E-Reads’ backlist focuses on science fiction and fantasy authors, including best-selling stars such as Dan Simmons, Harlan Ellison, Greg Bear, John Norman, Dave Duncan, Dan Simmons, Brian Aldiss, and Robert Sheckley, plus mystery bestsellers including Aaron Elkins and Barbara Parker, romance star Laura Kinsale and horror master Ray Garton.
Richard Curtis says: “E-Reads has proven to be as successful as I envisioned when I founded the company in 1999. However, as I recently surveyed the state of the industry, it became apparent it was time to seek an alliance with a company with greater resources, particularly in the all-important area of marketing.
“I am confident that Open Road will afford all of our books the best opportunity to realize their full potential in a competitive, ever-changing, and increasingly crowded marketplace.”
Open Road co-founder and CEO Jane Friedman, says: “E-Reads is one of the publishing industry’s pioneering companies and it shares Open Road’s passion for the digital future.”
Open Road launched as a literary publisher, with authors including Mary McCarthy, William Styron, Sherman Alexie, Michael Chabon, and has since expanded into genres including science fiction and fantasy (Octavia E Butler, Theodore Sturgeon), mystery (Carl Hiaasen, Dorothy L Sayers), and romance (Heather Graham, Amanda Scott), among others.