A new ebook distribution service is being formed by Jane Friedman’s digital publishing platform Open Road Integrated Media and Ingram Content Group. Open Road Distribution will offer authors, agents, and independent publishers the ability to digitize their entire catalog of published books and then distribute their work in a cost-effective manner. Their partner, Ingram, has extensive experience in digital publishing, distribution, and marketing.
Aimed at already-published authors, Open Road Distribution will work with independent published authors, literary agencies and independent agents with large catalogs of backlist books, and independent publishers who want to digitize and distribute their content. Print-on-demand will be available for all titles.
It looks to me that Open Road is cleverly taking advantage of the provisions of the copyright law that give authors the rights to their books back after 35 years. We did an article about this here. Note their concentration on already-published authors and the mention, in their press release, of “large catalogs of backlist books.” Open Road has been especially forward-thinking and this is another example of how disruption has become an almost daily thing in the publishing business.
