Open Road Integrated Media, the digital publisher cofounded by former HarperCollins CEO Jane Friedman in 2009, has acquired E-Reads, the ebook publisher founded by literary agent Richard Curtis in 1999. E-Reads has published over 1,200 titles, most of which are science fiction and fantasy.

“As I recently surveyed the state of the industry, it became apparent that it was time to seek an alliance with a company with greater resources, particularly in the all-important area of marketing,” Curtis said in a statement. Open Road, which has published over 4,000 titles, centers its business around digital marketing and has published books by authors like William Styron, Michael Chabon, Sherman Alexie and Alice Walker as ebooks for the first time.

E-Reads authors include Harlan Ellison, sci-fi author Greg Bear and mystery author Barbara Parker. Open Road has partnered with other publishers to market their ebooks, but this is its first straight acquisition…