Esquire magazine announced on Friday a partnership with Byliner, a digital publishing start-up, that will have three distinct components accessible to readers through e-books: collections of short fiction by undiscovered authors, nonfiction works in the 15,000- to 30,000-word range, and monthly collections of the best articles from Esquire's 80-year history along thematic lines like sports, war, politics and fiction.
David Granger, Esquire's editor in chief, said the initiative was a way to use the digital medium to create space for content that the magazine can no longer carry in its printed pages.
“Right now we publish 11 monthly issues with 1,200 editorial pages annually,†he said. “It is not enough pages for us to do all the ideas we have or support fiction the way we would like. This new partnership allows us to take what we are known for and do it on a much broader scale.â€
The first collection of original short fiction, titled “The Esquire Four,†will be published online at Byline.com on Friday and will be available for purchase through regular e-book retailers. The collection includes four authors, including Matt Sumell, a recent recipient of a master's of fine arts who is described by Esquire as having written about men in their 20s who think like arrested adolescents. One of Mr. Sumell's stories will also appear in Esquire's January issue with a notice telling readers where they can purchase the full book.
If the collection does well, another will appear in six months. The authors will be chosen by Esquire and Byliner editors jointly, and the price of the e-books will be $2.99.
Beginning in 2013, to celebrate Esquire's 80th anniversary, the partnership will begin publishing the greatest-hits anthologies, offering eight to 10 pieces every month from January to October. The first organizing theme will be Great Men.
Nonfiction will also be commissioned through the partnership, with each si de splitting the cost of the author's advance. Some of the nonfiction works might appear in Esquire as well.
