Amazon has numerous “secret weapons” as it continues to strive to make the Kindle Store the go-to venue for all participants — readers and authors alike — in the Kindle, er, the eBook Revolution. Among these, as we have noted before, are expanding commitments to publication of indie authors and backlist titles through programs such as
- the Kindle Digital Text Platform;
- Amazon’s CreateSpace POD and worldwide paperback distribution program;
- various Shorts programs;
- initiatives to invite successful authors like F. Paul Wilson, Ian MacEwan and Stephen Covey into more or less direct Amazon publishing relationships; and
- the company’s own AmazonEncore publishing house
.
Today Amazon announced an interesting array of six titles that it will publish through AmazonEncore this Summer. All six will be published both in paperback and Kindle editions, so that their ebook editions will be available on the Kindle, the iPad, the BlackBerry, the iPhone, the Mac, the PC, and other devices for which Kindle Apps
Here’s the list:
- Elizabeth Street by Laurie Fabiano
- Herb ‘n’ Lorna by Eric Kraft
- Double Bound by Nick Nolan
- The Berry Bible by Janie Hibler
- A King of Infinite Space by Tyler Dilts
- The Last Block in Harlem by Christopher Herz
AmazonEncore, still a tiny initiative after its launch less than 11 months ago with 16-year-old author Cayla Klaver’s previously self-published novel Legacy, nonetheless is charting an impressive growth arc with three titles released in February, four more this Spring, and six set for Summer. The actual Kindle Store release dates for the “Summer” titles fall in May, June,and July, and they are already available for pre-order.
The Kindle editions of current and future AmazonEncore titles are priced between $5.99 amd $9.99, several dollars less than the paperback editions. There’s no word yet on whether Steve Jobs will approach the AmazonEncore publishing house with an offer to carry the AmazonEncore titles in Apple’s iBooks Store if the publisher agrees to raise its ebook prices to $12.99.
Here’s the guts of this morning’s Amazon news release:
“We’re excited to be able to announce such a diverse list of titles that AmazonEncore will be publishing this summer,” said Jeff Belle, Vice President, Amazon.com Books. “With titles ranging from a historical novel with roots in the criminal group that preceded the mafia to a love letter to Harlem with a fascinating backstory, we think readers will have a great time discovering these books this summer.”
- An addition to the spring 2010 list, Lyla Blake Ward’s “How to Succeed at Aging Without Really Dying” is a collection of essays on (in the 82-year-old author’s words) “living in a world of bubble packs you can’t open, electronics you can’t turn on, and expiration dates you can only hope don’t apply to you.” Lyla Blake Ward is a former newspaper and magazine columnist who lives in Connecticut. “How to Succeed at Aging Without Really Dying” was published April 6.
- Laurie Fabiano’s “Elizabeth Street” is a novel based on the true-life story of the abduction of Fabiano’s grandmother by the Black Hand, the precursor to the mafia, and her great-grandmother’s fight to get her daughter back. Tom Brokaw calls the book “a fascinating account of the Italian immigrant experience at the turn of the century that is at once inspiring and terrifying.” Fabiano lives in Hoboken, N.J., where she is the president of Fab Tool, a marketing and events company that advises non-profits. “Elizabeth Street” will be published on May 4.
- Originally published in 1988, Eric Kraft’s “Herb ‘n’ Lorna” is a novel about a young man who discovers after his grandparents’ death that they had a bawdy love affair predicated on their founding of the erotic jewelry industry. In a front page review in the New York Times Book Review, reviewer Cathleen Schine writes: “The novel is all about sex, and sex, in ‘Herb ‘n’ Lorna,’ means everything in life that is good–craft and art and imagination and hard work and humor and friendship and skill and curiosity and loyalty and love.” Kraft lives in New Rochelle, N.Y. and is the author of over 10 books, including his most recent novel “Flying.” “Herb ‘n’ Lorna” will be published on May 11.
AmazonEncore published Nick Nolan’s first novel “Strings Attached” in March 2010. In the sequel, “Double Bound,” protagonist Jeremy and his boyfriend Carlo are sent to Jeremy’s wealthy aunt to oversee the family business in Brazil, where they are accompanied by Arthur, the family’s butler. “Double Bound” is Arthur’s story: his heartbreaking youth, his days as a gay U.S. Marine, and his journey of self-discovery while in Brazil. Nolan lives in Los Angeles. “Double Bound” will be published on June 1. - In “The Berry Bible,” James Beard award-winning cookbook author Janie Hibler gets to the heart of berries, from their health benefits to how they are best put to use in the kitchen. In her research, Hibler traveled the world, visiting the Canadian prairie to search out Saskatoon berries; Alaska to pick wild blueberries; and Europe to peruse the markets for the best strawberries. “The Berry Bible” contains 175 recipes, as well as instructions on how to properly wash berries, freeze them, measure them correctly, and more. Hibler is a contributing writer to Food & Wine and Bon Appétit magazines and was a contributing writer to Gourmet. She lives in Portland, Ore.. “The Berry Bible” will be published on June 22.
- “A King of Infinite Space,” a mystery novel by Tyler Dilts, follows detective Danny Beckett as he hunts for the murderer of a local high school teacher. The son of a policeman, Dilts grew up fascinated with the work of homicide detectives. Currently an instructor at California State University in Long Beach, Dilts’ writing has appeared in publications such as the Los Angeles Times, the Chronicle of Higher Education, and “The Best American Mystery Stories.” “A King of Infinite Space” will be published on June 29.
- “The Last Block in Harlem” by Christopher Herz is a novel about a young man trying to fight the gentrification of his Harlem neighborhood. A former copywriter, Herz left his job upon finishing the manuscript of his book and began hand selling it in New York City. He walked the streets until he sold 10 copies a day, and his hand selling caught the eye of Publishers Weekly, which featured him in an August 2009 article. Herz still lives in New York City. “The Last Block in Harlem” will be published on July 13.
Announced in May 2009, AmazonEncore is a program which identifies exceptional books and emerging authors using information on Amazon.com, such as customer reviews and sales data. Amazon then works with the authors to introduce or re-introduce their books to readers through marketing and distribution into multiple channels and formats, such as the Amazon Books Store, Amazon Kindle Store, www.Audible.com, and national and independent bookstores via third-party wholesalers. AmazonEncore is a brand for titles published by Amazon Content Services LLC.