But not through a traditional publisher, according to the Associated Press. Open Road Integrated Media, the digital company co-founded two years ago by former HarperCollins CEO Jane Friedman, has reached an agreement with Walker to release the electronic version of “The Color Purple,” as well as the novels “The Temple of My Familiar” and “Possessing the Secret of Joy.”The titles become available today (Sept. 20). On Nov. 22, eight more books will be published. The e-books will include author interviews, photographs and personal documents.
“I love reading a good book while flying through the air,” Walker said in a statement. “I’ve traveled all my life and have visited many of the faraway places I dreamed of as a child: India, Australia, Bali, South Africa, Iceland, etc. On each journey I’ve carried books. Books that taught me a lot, while engaging my sense of wonder, but that got heavier and heavier! Open Road promises to be a way for my books to accompany travelers on their own journeys of exploration and learning.” Open Road has previously acquired e-rights to such best-sellers as Pat Conroy’s “The Prince of Tides” and William Styron’s “Darkness Visible” by offering royalty rates of 50 percent, double what traditional publishers usually offer, and by promising aggressive promotion. “Open Road has the best technical know-how and best forward-moving energy. I love the way all the people I’ve worked with express and carry themselves: with confidence and enthusiasm but also with a sense of experience. They have a track record,” Walker said. “If this were not enough, there is a sense, lacking often in publishing, of connectedness with the author, of all of us being in this adventure together, wanting it to be the best.”
