Cherry blossoms at the Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial on March 27, 2021. Photo: Shannon Finney/Getty Images
The estate of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. has reached an agreement with HarperCollins Publishers for rights to King's literary archive, AP reports.
The big picture: With the new agreement, HarperCollins Publishers — which released King's first book more than 60 years ago — plans to release works based on King's life and writing, ranging from children’s stories to graphic novels, per AP.
- The publishing company also plans an annual reissue of the late civil rights leader's “I Have a Dream” speech, with an introduction each year from a different contemporary writer.
What they're saying: “The King Estate is pleased to return the publishing rights to Dr. King’s literary archive to his original publisher,” the manager of King’s estate, Eric Tidwell, said in a statement Tuesday.
- “We look forward to utilizing HarperCollins’ global footprint to continue the perpetuation of Dr. King’s wonderful legacy through new creative literary projects,” Tidwell said, per AP.
Catch up quick: The King estate had been publishing with Beacon Press since 2009, per AP.
- Literary agent Amy Berkower, who represented the King estate, said sales had been waning in recent years, per AP.
- “We felt the books had to be packaged in a much more contemporary way,” Berkower said.