The Open Road Blog

It's probably safe to say more than 10 million ereaders were gifted this holiday season [and, of course, that includes "gifting" oneself!].  For many, now, the big question looming is: Where to begin?  

There's a lot of advice to be had on the subject—I'm particularly partial to Open Road Media's StarterPack Flowchart System—but let's say you already know what you want to read, right now. . . a spinetingling mystery.  The only question is: Which one?  

Check out Open Road's Ultimate Perfect Crime Sampler Pack over at Scribd.com for excerpts from more than two dozen beloved and ...

“Perhaps no one but Hamilton could invent so thrilling and credible a story about people.” –Publishers Weekly

Open Road Integrated Media is pleased to announce the release of four additional ebook editions of award-winning children’s book author Virginia Hamilton, including The Mystery of Drear House, and the Justice Trilogy: Justice and Her Brothers, Dustland, and The Gathering.

In The Mystery of Drear House, the sequel to the Edgar Allen Poe Award–winning House of Dies Drear, Thomas Small and his best friend Pesty Darrow have been keeping the secret that lies beneath Drear House—hidden rooms, Indian legends, and terrifying ...

“If these books should help only a few children to see beyond the rim of their own world … I shall be rewarded.” –Lois Lenski

Open Road Integrated Media is proud to release seven ebooks of children’s author and illustrator Lois Lenski, including the Newbery Award-winning Strawberry Girl and Newbery Honor Book Indian Captive:  The Story of Mary Jemison.

Lois Lenski’s books paved a way for a new writing style in children’s books. She spoke of regions that were little known, wrote about realistic characters, and touched on real life issues. To reach this level of authenticity, Lenski traveled ...

Today marks the ebook release of six notable works of fiction from American novelist and short story writer Laura Z. Hobson. Described in The New York Times as a “zesty woman who grappled with painful, suppressed subjects before their time,” Hobson is best known for her novels Gentleman’s Agreement, a landmark novel that ranked #1 on the New York Times bestseller list for five months straight, and Consenting Adult, about a mother coming to terms with her son’s sexuality.

The following books are now available for digital readers: Gentleman’s Agreement, the million-copy bestseller about a journalist who ...

'Tis the season to believe in a little magic, and I read a wonderful example of that last week that spoke to my not-so-inner child. One of my favorite bloggers, Jenny Lawson (a.k.a. The Bloggess) did a fantastically funny post on Babble. It was all about Santa and why we should believe in him, and ostensibly why we should continue to encourage children to believe. Enjoy, and happy holidays!—Lara

This week I guest blogged over at STC Craft | Melanie Falick Books about the gift-giving season and the joy of making handmade gifts—inspired by our new ...

It's December 22nd. . . and whether you're feeling festive, frazzled—or a bit of both—there's no better time of year to curl up with a cozy and a "cuppa tea"—or maybe some cocoa.   

Herewith, a few of our seasonal favorites: 

Treat yourself to four unforgettable tales of holiday romance filled with sugar and spice and everything nice.  This festive collection includes short stories from bestselling authors Beverly Barton (The Ghost of Christmas Past), Joanne Fluke (The Twelve Desserts of Christmas), Fern Michaels (The Christmas Stocking), and Shirley Jump (Twelve Days)....

When most of our authors wrote their first books, they probably couldn’t imagine the various ways their words could be read in this technology-driven era. No one had coined the terms “ebook” or “ereaders,” and the idea of mixing books with music, video, or other enhancements would have seemed like something out of science fiction.

But here we are. Business Wire reports that estimates for ereader unit sales are expected to grow from 11 million in 2010 to nearly 72 million in 2014. Ereading devices and ebooks are easier to give than ever (see giftofe.com for quick ebook gifting instructions), ...

“A powerful, moving novel that probes the heart of man’s most heartless activity—war.”

—Chicago Sunday Tribune

On December 20, 2011, Open Road Integrated Media will publish The Thin Red Line by iconic author James Jones, best known for his novel From Here to Eternity. Jones is regarded as one of the most successful American authors from the World War II generation. Fellow celebrated author Norman Mailer, called Jones “the only one of my contemporaries who I felt had more talent than myself.” Jones’s experiences serving in the US Army from 1939 to 1944 influenced a number of ...

Open Road Integrated Media announces the publication of five ebooks by Michael Chabon on December 20, 2011. Chabon is an acclaimed and bestselling author whose works include the Pulitzer Prize–winning novel The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay. One of America’s most distinctive voices, Chabon has been called “a magical prose stylist” by New York Times Book Review, and is known for his lively writing, nostalgia for bygone modes of storytelling, and deep empathy for the human predicament. His new-to-e works include novels The Mysteries of Pittsburgh and Wonder Boys, story collections A Model World and Werewolves ...

Although people have been wrapping gifts since the invention of paper around 105 A.D., most historians would agree that America’s gift-wrap industry officially began in the early twentieth century in downtown Kansas City, Missouri, in a shop run by Hallmark founder Joyce C. Hall. During the holiday season of 1917, the store sold out of its holiday line of tissue paper and needed something to offer its customers for wrapping presents. Store employees brought out some French envelope liner paper and priced it at 10 cents a sheet. The decorative paper quickly sold out. The following year, they offered the ...

Today marks the release of six new ebooks from Pegasus Books and Open Road Media. Featured titles include Fun Inc., a fascinating exploration into the culture, artistic value, and transformative potential of gaming; Germs Gone Wild, a shocking exposé of the unchecked proliferation of domestic biodefense and how it threatens America; Fifty Years of Crime and Suspense, a celebratory anthology of stories published in Alfred Hitchcock’s Mystery Magazine, one of the foremost magazines of mystery and suspense; The Uninnocent, an emotionally enthralling short story collection by one of the most potent voices in contemporary fiction; ...

On December 1, Susan and Peter Straub and Pegasus Books hosted a launch party for Bradford Morrow's The Uninnocent, on sale as an ebook today. The event marked the end of an eventful year for the prolific author.

The year began with the January publication of the widely acclaimed The Diviner’s Tale. February brought The Inevitable: Contemporary Writers Confront Death, which Morrow edited with David Shields, featuring essays by Annie Dillard, Geoff Dyer, Jonathan Safran Foer, and seventeen others. Also in February, Open Road Media published five of Morrow’s backlist titles, including The Almanac Branch...

For the very first time, the renowned Lyra Series by New York Times bestselling author Patricia Wrede is finally accessible in digital format. An extraordinarily visionary author, Wrede has written more than 30 fantasy novels and short stories and is published in more than 10 languages. Wrede has received numerous awards for her work, including ALA Best Book for Young Adults, and The Young Reader's Choice Award. Entering the realm of fantasy with the Lyra Series of five novels, Wrede instantly became popular for her creative way of breaking through literary barriers of a genre, and redefining the meaning of ...

“Last Exit to Brooklyn should explode like a rusty hellish bombshell over America and still be eagerly read in a hundred years.” —Allen Ginsberg

Open Road Integrated Media announces the release of four titles by author Hubert Selby, Jr., including his classics, Last Exit to Brooklyn and Requiem for a Dream, which were championed by authors such as William S. Burroughs and Allen Ginsberg, and later adapted into critically acclaimed films. Selby’s writing is noted for its gritty portrayal of addiction and urban despair in America, which has influenced subsequent generations of authors, artists, and musicians. Selby’s ...