E-book release delayed for Kennedy memoir
By Hillel Italie (Associated Press)

NEW YORK — E-book fans will have to wait for a download of Sen. Ted Kennedy's memoir.
"True Compass," one of the year's most anticipated books, is scheduled to come out next week. But publisher Twelve has decided to hold off "indefinitely" on a digital edition.

The head of Twelve, Jonathan Karp, said Thursday that the delay was a "business decision" and added that the pictures and illustrations in "True Compass" cannot be duplicated in e-book form.

"It (the delay) does not reflect any larger corporate policy," said Karp, whose imprint is part of the Hachette Book Group. "We publish each book individually and we felt that this particular hardcover edition of `True Compass' deserves to be the first and pre-eminent format for the book."
Digital sales were so tiny until recently that the publishing industry routinely released e-books at the same time or even before the paper editions. But the growth of electronic sales, widely believed to be between 1 percent to 2 percent of the overall market and higher still for current best sellers, has made publishers worry that the market would suffer for more expensive hardcover editions.
Karp would not comment directly when asked whether he was worried that e-book sales would take away from the hardcover, but noted: "You don't expect a first-run movie to be available on cable the first weekend."
"True Compass" has a list price of US$35. E-books usually sell for under $10.