Amazon Publishing Acquires First Major Title
SEATTLE—Amazon.com announced that Amazon Publishing’s first major acquisition by its New York imprint is the next book in Timothy Ferriss’ New York Times best-selling “4-hour” series, “The 4-Hour Chef.” Ferriss is author of the best-sellers “The 4-Hour Body” and “The 4-Hour Workweek.”
“The 4-Hour Chef,” which is expected to be released in April 2012, will be published in print, enhanced digital and audio formats by the New York-based imprint of Amazon Publishing headed by Larry Kirshbaum. Ferriss’ literary agent, Stephen Hanselman of LevelFiveMedia, represented the author in this world rights deal.
Amazon Publishing is the publishing arm of Amazon and encompasses the imprints AmazonEncore, AmazonCrossing, The Domino Project Powered by Amazon, Montlake Romance, Thomas & Mercer and the New York-based imprint.
In other publishing news, with an initial print run of three million copies—the largest first printing in its history—Disney Publishing Worldwide (DPW) announced the return of the popular young adult fictional character Percy Jackson with "The Son of Neptune" by author Rick Riordan. The book is slated for simultaneous release on Oct. 4 in hardcover, e-book and audio versions.