Walt Disney Co. is so determined to maintain the secrecy surrounding its hotly anticipated “Star Wars” movie that it asked its publishing partner to delay the release of a hardcover book tied to the film and forgo a potential holiday sales bonanza.

“Star Wars: The Force Awakens,” the franchise’s first new installment in a decade, will reach theaters Dec. 17. But the print edition of the novel, which will be published by Penguin Random House’s Del Rey imprint, won’t be released until Jan. 5, after the lucrative holiday gift-giving...