Cornerstone to publish Mockingbird e-book

To Kill a Mockingbird (William Heinemann) is to be published as an e-book for the first time by Cornerstone.

The Penguin Random House imprint acquired UK and Commonwealth rights, excluding Canada, to the e-book and digital audio of Harper Lee’s text.

To Kill a Mockingbird will be available as a straight text e-book, an enhanced e-book with extra exclusive content, and as a digital audio, narrated by Oscar-winning actress Sissy Spacek.

The new formats will be released on 8th July, to coincide with the 54th anniversary of the book’s original publication.

The author said: “I am amazed and humbled that Mockingbird has survived this long. I’m still old fashioned. I love dusty old books and libraries. This is Mockingbird for a new generation.”

Susan Sandon, Cornerstone m.d., said: “To Kill a Mockingbird regularly tops polls as the nation’s most loved book and we are delighted that readers all over the world will now have the opportunity to read or listen to this very special book in all formats.”

Last year, Lee successfully sued her former literary agent, Samuel Pinkus, to regain rights to her novel, alleging she was “duped” into signing over copyright of To Kill a Mockingbird.

William Heinemann originally published To Kill a Mockingbird in 1960. It brought out a hardback edition in 2010 to celebrate the book’s 50th anniversary, with Arrow bringing out a paperback edition.

HarperCollins holds e-book rights in the US.