Kobo brings Jian Ghomeshi bio to readers with its first-ever e-book

Jian Ghomeshi, the Canadian broadcaster who was dismissed from his high-profile radio show after allegations of sexual abuse last year, will be the subject of an upcoming e-book to be published by Kobo.

Publishers Weekly reports that “Jian Ghomeshi: Secret Life” is being written by Toronto Star reporter Kevin Donovan, who covered the Ghomeshi story last fall. It’s the first e-book coming from Kobo, Canada’s premiere e-book retailer and e-reader device maker.

“The topical nature of the Ghomeshi case makes the story perfect for original digital publication,” Pieter Swinkels, Kobo’s vice president of publisher relations, said in a statement.

In October, several stories emerged that alleged Ghomeshi, who hosted the popular Canadian Broadcasting Corp. radio show “Q,” had sexually assaulted a number of women. When he was dismissed from his job, he made a public declaration on Facebook that he participated in “adventurous forms of sex that included role-play, dominance and submission” as well as “rough sex,” maintaining that those activities were always consensual.

The stories from women in his past contradicted that claim. He has been charged with seven counts of sexual assault and one of overcoming resistance by choking. His lawyer says he will plead not guilty.

“Jian Ghomeshi: Secret Life” will also be published in print by independent publisher ECW. In a statement, ECW co-publisher David Caron said, “The book as envisioned and reported by one of Canada’s leading investigative journalists struck us as the kind of story that needed to be published widely and smartly. Not only for the story itself, which has captured people’s interest, but also for the larger social implications of the story, the issues it raises about the power of celebrity, violence against women, and the veil of propriety in a beleaguered but beloved broadcaster.”

Before the scandal, Ghomeshi, the author of the memoir “1982,” had been slated to publish another book of his own with Penguin Random House Canada, but the deal has been canceled.

Both editions of “Jian Ghomeshi: Secret Life” are to be published in June.

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