John Locke, the first self-published author to sell over 1 million copies of his books in the Kindle Store, has struck a distribution deal with Simon & Schuster. The deal, which was negotiated by agent Jane Dystel, is an exclusive agreement whereby S&S will handle getting Locke's eight Donovan Creed novels into the retail market. The books are expected to be on sale by February 2012 and S&S said there are "more titles to follow" under the deal.
While the deal may seem unorthodox, with an author signing a publisher for distribution, a rep at S&S said the arrangement is a standard distribution agreement, mimicking the kind of arrangements distributors regularly strike with small publishers.
