Start-Up to Offer Didion E-Books The start-up Zola Books is trying to persuade book buyers to flock to its website, a hybrid that is designed to be a bookseller, curator and social-networking site all in one. Jemal Countess/Getty Images Beginning Monday, ZolaBooks.com will sell exclusive e-book editions of several critically acclaimed books by Joan Didion. It has at least one intriguing way to attract them: a handful of previously unavailable digital works by one of the most beloved American authors, Joan Didion. Beginning Monday, ZolaBooks.com will be the only place consumers can find the e-book edition of "Slouching Towards Bethlehem," an essay collection by Ms. Didion that was published in 1968. Ms. Didion's "Play It as It Lays," "The White Album," "After Henry" and "Miami" will also be available. Zola has also acquired the exclusive rights to sell e-book editions of titles by John Gregory Dunne, Ms. Didion's husband, who died in 2003, including "Crooning," "Harp," and "Quintana & Friends." None of the books have been released in digital format. Joe Regal, Zola's chief executive, said he was betting that exclusives would bring people to the website, where they can explore the book selections, reviews and recommendations tailored from professional critics and other users. They can also buy from the 100,000 books by major publishers that are available on the site. Zola executives say they are trying to bring handselling, the personal recommendations that independent bookstores are known for, into the digital age. "The goal is to create a book paradise," said Mr. Regal, a former literary agent. As a concept, Zola Books may confuse consumers who are accustomed to clearly defined roles of retailers, publishers and book-recommendation sites like Goodreads. The book business is still largely set up for each player to have a separate role: publishers have very little interest or success in retailing, and most retailers do not want to publish books. Amazon has had mixed success with its own publishing efforts. But Tad Floridis, who is Zola's senior director of content and business development and has years of experience in publishing, said that the site "gives people the ability to do what's natural in the reading experience." Zola Books, which operates from a second-floor loft space among fabric wholesalers and fashion companies in the garment district of Manhattan, recently acquired $5.1 million in financing from investors including Charles F. Dolan, the founder of Cablevision and HBO.