The Los Angeles Times today makes its entry into the e-book marketplace with the release of “A Nightmare Made Real,” an expanded version of staff writer Christopher Goffard‘s gripping account of a man accused of unspeakable acts, facing a lifetime behind bars. The original two-part series was one of The Times most-read stories of the year.

“As a content company, we are enthusiastic about harnessing new mediums and business models that expand the reach of our unique storytelling,” said Times President Kathy Thomson. “The immediacy of e-book publishing allows us to easily adapt Times coverage to a convenient reader experience that’s being heavily embraced.”

Available today for Kindle, Nook and iBooks for 99 cents, “Nightmare” is the first of eight to 10 new digital titles The Times plans to release in the coming year. All will be accessible via latimes.com/bookstore, and readers can expect short- and long-form stories, topical e-singles, recipe compilations, photo-driven narratives and Pulitzer Prize-winning coverage.

“E-books offer an exciting opportunity to take The Times” world-class journalism and present it as a different reading experience,” said Times Editor Russ Stanton. “Be it an overview of a significant news event, a collection of Steve Lopez columns or a dip into our rich archives, we’re excited to release titles that span our areas of expertise and can be easily and conveniently accessed.”

“A Nightmare Made Real” tells the spellbinding story of Louis Gonzalez III, a Las Vegas banker accused of kidnapping, torturing and sexually assaulting the mother of his child. Evidence from the scene included clumps of her hair and a cord that was tied around her neck. “In 19 years of police work, this has to go down as one of the most brutal attacks I have ever seen,” a police spokesman said. Over the next several months, as Gonzalez sat behind bars, his defense attorney and a hired investigator would try to prove his innocence. The detective assigned to the case began to nurse suspicions that the facts were far from what they first appeared.

In addition to The Times original series, e-book readers can expect new material, including more detailed portraits of the investigating detective and the defense team, and a deeper look at the alleged “suicide note” that emerged at a pivotal moment in the case. In addition, Goffard provides an account of how the story started with an unlikely tip and grew into a narrative.

Source: http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/jacketcopy/2011/11/los-angeles-times-publishes-first-ebook-a-nightmare-made-real.html

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