The Reader’s Guild has signed an exclusive, long-term licensing agreement to market and publish Reader’s Digest's Condensed Book series as Reader’s Digest Classic Editions. Initially distributed four times a year and, most recently, bi-monthly, the titles,previously available only through direct mail, will now be offered to the general trade.
Each volume includes four or five bestselling novels by prominent authors such as John Steinbeck, William Faulkner, Agatha Christie, Michael Crichton, and John Grisham. The Reader's Digest Classic Editions will be released as e-books, Kindle Singles, paperback, trade paperback, and hardcover editions. The agreement covers approximately 1,500 books and Reader's Guild has the rights to publish new versions of condensed books two years after their original release date.
“Since 1950, Reader’s Digest has published hundreds of condensed titles and we are delighted to work with The Reader’s Guild to give a whole new generation of readers an opportunity to enjoy first-class condensations of award-winning titles, many of which are currently out-of-print,” said Harold Clarke, president and publisher, Reader’s Digest Books and Home Entertainment.
