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Barbara Cartland is latest author to be wooed by digital

11.02.11 | Lisa Campbell

The estate of the romance writer Barbara Cartland has fallen to the embrace of digital, in a move that sees her print publisher suffering a painful rejection. About a quarter of Cartland's extensive ouevre is to be published digitally in e-book format by her estate for the first time on Valentine's Day.

The deal has echoes of the decision by Ian Fleming Publications to release the writer's James Bond books as digital editions, but not through his current publisher Penguin. The works, part of the Pink Collection, comprise 160 titles and are being made available through a partnership between Barbaracartland.com and M-Y Ebooks.

Ten books will go live on Monday, though some appear to already be available on the Kindle, and will be sold in a number of formats and devices. A range of Cartland's physical books are available in print through Random House.

Ian McCorquodale, Barbara Cartland's son and founder of Barbaracartland.com, said: "I established Barbaracartland.com back in 2004 because I was committed to making my mother's much-loved books even more widely available through the internet. Our new relationship with M-Y EBooks takes that commitment several steps further and I'm convinced that the publication of the Pink Collection in e-book format will prove to an even wider global audience that Barbara Cartland's message and legacy ­that love conquers all ­will live on for a very long time to come."

McCorquodale plans to release five new e-book titles a month after the initial release on Monday. Cartland, a celebrated English romance author, died in 2000. She published 723 books.

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By Blah blah blah

Sorry Bookseller, but this is a terribly written article... "About a quarter of Cartland's extensive ouevres is to be published digitally" - lose the 's' on 'ouvre'. "The works, part of the Pink Collection, comprise 160 titles and is being" - "and are being", maybe? And what is that first paragraph all about? "Fallen to the embrace of digital... Painful rejection..." - seriously? Is The Bookseller anti-digital now? If not, maybe just report the story rather than add bad wordcraft? I know folk complain you can be guilty of just parroting press releases, but if you are going to write stuff sort the SPAG and lay off the hyperbole!

Fri, 11/02/2011 - 13:12
By Philip Jones

You should have seen the press release BBB! You're right no excuses about the grammar, but I think you are failing to pick up on the humour of the piece. But as the team who brought you the infamous "no shit sherlock . . ." headline from last year, maybe we should get back in our box.

Fri, 11/02/2011 - 13:44
By Unromantic

Considering that romance remains a pretty large and thriving part of a poor market, and the likes of Mills & Boon have been exemplary at embracing digital opportunities, I think it's a bit of a shame that the Bookseller is incapable of reporting on romance without trotting out all the tedious old cliches. You don't feel compelled to make tiresome 'sick as a parrot' gags every time you report a football book. Can you not please just discuss romance in the same sort of register as you use for every other genre?

That, or start making hilarious jokes about every genre, starting with misery memoirs. Your wordsmiths should be able to wring a few laughs out of the latest 'Please Daddy Stop'.

Fri, 11/02/2011 - 15:30
By Philip Jones

Well, actually I did the same thing with the James Bond story, and sometimes it's too good an opportunity to miss. Anyway, I blogged about this on FutureBook, if you want to take issue with me there too ;-) http://futurebook.net/content/fine-romance

Fri, 11/02/2011 - 16:05
By Anonymous

You're right, very bad writing and editing. I'm so used to romances being laughed at that I simply didn't notice. Barbara Cartland made herself a very nice fortune, and her oeuvre continues to generate income. Good for her.

Sun, 13/02/2011 - 15:26
By Blah blah blah

Sorry Bookseller, but this is a terribly written article... "About a quarter of Cartland's extensive ouevres is to be published digitally" - lose the 's' on 'ouvre'. "The works, part of the Pink Collection, comprise 160 titles and is being" - "and are being", maybe? And what is that first paragraph all about? "Fallen to the embrace of digital... Painful rejection..." - seriously? Is The Bookseller anti-digital now? If not, maybe just report the story rather than add bad wordcraft? I know folk complain you can be guilty of just parroting press releases, but if you are going to write stuff sort the SPAG and lay off the hyperbole!

Fri, 11/02/2011 - 13:12
By Philip Jones

You should have seen the press release BBB! You're right no excuses about the grammar, but I think you are failing to pick up on the humour of the piece. But as the team who brought you the infamous "no shit sherlock . . ." headline from last year, maybe we should get back in our box.

Fri, 11/02/2011 - 13:44
By Unromantic

Considering that romance remains a pretty large and thriving part of a poor market, and the likes of Mills & Boon have been exemplary at embracing digital opportunities, I think it's a bit of a shame that the Bookseller is incapable of reporting on romance without trotting out all the tedious old cliches. You don't feel compelled to make tiresome 'sick as a parrot' gags every time you report a football book. Can you not please just discuss romance in the same sort of register as you use for every other genre?

That, or start making hilarious jokes about every genre, starting with misery memoirs. Your wordsmiths should be able to wring a few laughs out of the latest 'Please Daddy Stop'.

Fri, 11/02/2011 - 15:30
By Philip Jones

Well, actually I did the same thing with the James Bond story, and sometimes it's too good an opportunity to miss. Anyway, I blogged about this on FutureBook, if you want to take issue with me there too ;-) http://futurebook.net/content/fine-romance

Fri, 11/02/2011 - 16:05
By Anonymous

You're right, very bad writing and editing. I'm so used to romances being laughed at that I simply didn't notice. Barbara Cartland made herself a very nice fortune, and her oeuvre continues to generate income. Good for her.

Sun, 13/02/2011 - 15:26

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