E.J. Van Lanen, who was a cofounder of Open Letter Books, has started his own e-book publisher, Frisch & Co. The company, which will publish digital-only editions of literature in translation, will focus on contemporary fiction, and is launching with two titles from Berlin-based house, Suhrkamp Verlag. The company, which Van Lanen (who is based in Berlin) unveiled last week during the Frankfurt Book Fair, is currently looking to partner with other foreign publishers to produce English-language e-book editions of their titles.
The two titles currently signed are Anna Kim’s Anatomy of Night and Uwe Tellkamp’s The Tower; both will be released in spring 2013. The titles will be available (DRM free) at various e-book retailers and through Frisch & Company’s Web site.
Van Lanen, who has focused on literature in translation—Open Letter exclusively publishes English-language editions of foreign titles—said the goal with Frisch & Company is to continue to bring these works to American readers. "There are so many truly fascinating stories, and great writers, that English-only readers simply don’t have the opportunity to discover," he said. This new publisher aims to "reach readers where they increasingly are: on their tablets, phones, and e-book readers.”
