On April 17th, it was announced that author Keigo Higashino’s novels would be published in ebook form for the first time. Seven publishers have come together to distribute seven of Higashino’s works on major Japanese ebook stores starting from April 24th. The main reason behind this change has been the recent COVID-19 pandemic. As many Japanese citizens have been ordered to stay at home, many companies are branching further into ebooks as a way to allow purchases of books from the comfort of a reader’s own room.

Books planned for an ebook publication include Miracles of the Namiya General Store published by Kadokawa, Purachina dēta (Platinum data) published by Gentosha, Ryūsei no kizuna (Meteor bonds) published by Kodansha, Daīngu ai (Dying eye) published by Kobunsha, Shippū rondo (Rondeau of gales) published by Jitsugyo no Nihon Sha, Journey Under the Midnight Sun published by Shueisha, and Devotion of Suspect X published by Bungeishunju. All of the books have previously been adapted for film or TV with over one million copies sold, with combined sales figures of 12,880,000 copies.

Keigo Higashino commented, “For the young people who want to go outside, please hold on just a little longer! This is a great time to do some reading. A new world may be waiting for you, though I can’t make any promises.

The companies involved have noted that April’s line-up of ebooks may be the first and last digital publications of Higashino’s works. It remains to be seen whether there will be any further ebooks from Keigo Higashino published after the peak of the pandemic.

News Abstract from Article Originally Posted in IT Media News April 17^th 2020