Esquire Magazine is branching out from its monthly publication into the world of digital publishing. Open Road Media will be helping out with the digital aspect of the business and share their knowledge of distribution channels. The main premise of this new venture is to write books strictly for a male audience. You can expect the first book to be released on June 12th and new books every few months.
The first ebook being released is a short story compilation by authors Aaron Gwyn, Luis Alberto Urrea, and Jess Walter. The launch of this new venture is coinciding with the companies June and July issue of the magazine which features stories by Stephen King, Joe Hill, Lee Child, and Colum McCann. These issues will be on the iPad and print version of Esquire.
Esquire is basically looking to expand into a new digital venture due to the success of their iPad application. The magazine world is stagnant in the dwindling number of subscribers and the slow exodus of advertising partners.
The digital version of their ebooks, according to David Granger (editor-in-chief of Esquire) will be “plot-driven and exciting, where one thing happens after another.” Plus, it also deals “with passages in a man’s life that seem common.”
Michael Kozlowski is the editor-in-chief at Good e-Reader and has written about audiobooks and e-readers for the past fifteen years. Newspapers and websites such as the CBC, CNET, Engadget, Huffington Post and the New York Times have picked up his articles. He Lives in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.
