Richard Russo novel not for sale as e-book

Pulitzer Prize-winning novelist Richard Russo says his new novel Interventions won't be for sale in electronic form.

Richard Russo with his newest work, 'Interventions,' in his home in Camden, Maine. A critic of e-books, Russo won't allow Interventions to be sold in electronic form. Photo: AP

Image 1 of 4

Pulitzer Prize-winning novelist Richard Russo, seated, poses with his daughter, artist Kate Russo, and her husband, designer Tom Butler, at his home in Camden, Maine. The trio collaborated on Russo's latest work. Photo: AP

Image 1 of 4

Novelist Richard Russo at his home in Camden, Maine in June 2012. Photo: Robert F. Bukaty/AP

Image 1 of 4

'Interventions,' which are four individually bound volumes gathered in a slipcase, combining the previously unpublished novella ìInterventionî with three shorter works by Pulitzer Prize-winning novelist Richard Russo. Photo: AP

By Martin Chilton, Digital Culture Editor

The Telegraph

Richard Russo, the Pulitzer Prize-winning novelist, says his latest novel, Interventions, "is a tribute to the printed book" and is not for sale in an electronic version.

His new book is intended to give readers a "book book" - as he calls printed books - experience.

Russo, 62, is the author of seven novels, including Bridge of Sighs, That Old Cape Magic and Empire Falls, which won the 2002 Pulitzer Prize and was made into an HBO mini-series starring Paul Newman. His novel Nobody's Fool was turned into a successful film starring Bruce Wilis.

Interventions is a collection of four separate volumes packaged in a slipcase, each with a postcard-sized colour print of a painting by Russo's daughter, Kate. The collection, three short stories and a novella, is published on high-quality sustainably harvested paper.

Russo, talking to the Associated Press from his home in Maine, said that the rapid rise of e-books and online sales of printed books pose threats to bookstores, the publishing industry and the rise of new authors.
He said: "I encourage the idea of buying locally. I think this particular book is part of that groundswell of people who are beginning to understand that buying all of your books through online booksellers is like buying everything from online sellers, whether it's flat-screen TVs or flowers or whatever. I think there's a groundswell of people who are beginning to understand the implications of that. And that's the only justification I have for saying print books are unlikely to disappear."
Full story at The Telegraph