Publishers Weekly is reporting this:
… Open Road will also release e-book editions of 55 crime and mystery backlist titles from bestselling authors Lawrence Block, Stephen Coonsts, Robert K. Tanenbaum and Don Winslow. The new e-book editions will go on sale before the end of the year and will include new cover art, previously unpublished photographs and illustrated biographies of the writers. The list will feature 37 titles by Block, three by Coonts, ten from Tanenbaum and five titles from Winslow. This new batch of titles will add to the list of previously announced E-riginal and backlist crime and thriller titles.
I am puzzled. They don’t actually seem to be selling the books, rather offering a link to buy from Amazon, B&N etc.
No surprise. That is what Open Road does- they convert and package back list ebook titles. they are NOT an e-seller.
My post was intended to be a bit of a knock against the relevance of Paul’s article (sorry Paul) rather than a knocking of Open Road Media. (not saying you were implying that, Richard!).
I am not sure what the commission is that Open Road Media earns from Amazon or B&N sales is but it is a valid business model if there is some money to be made.
In fact if there is some money to be made I can see business opportunity for worthwhile review sites to be launched as part of the need for eBook readers to navigate their way through the mass of eBooks available.
I know myself that I would value it if I could find somewhere that would reflect my own tastes and help me find reading material outside the big sellers.
It’s too bad the books I’ve seen from them have a $14.99 list price and are loaded down with DRM. Not such an “Open Road”…
Gosh, a whole four authors, all recent. At this rate we can expect to see decent eBook coverage of Golden Age crime fiction by, oooh, 2060 or so. That’s when I start paying for eBooks.