Authors, Writers, Publishers, and Book Readers

Amazon Signs Up Authors, Writing Publishers Out of Deal

SEATTLE — Amazon.com has taught readers that they do not need bookstores. Now it is encouraging writers to cast aside their publishers.

Amazon will publish 122 books this fall in an array of genres, in both physical and e-book form. It is a striking acceleration of the retailer’s fledging publishing program that will place Amazon squarely in competition with the New York houses that are also its most prominent suppliers.

It has set up a flagship line run by a publishing veteran, Laurence Kirshbaum, to bring out brand-name fiction and nonfiction. It signed its first deal with the self-help author Tim Ferriss. Last week it announced a memoir by the actress and director Penny Marshall, for which it paid $800,000, a person with direct knowledge of the deal said.

Publishers say Amazon is aggressively wooing some of their top authors. And the company is gnawing away at the services that publishers, critics and agents used to provide.

Several large publishers declined to speak on the record about Amazon’s efforts. “Publishers are terrified and don’t know what to do,” said Dennis Loy Johnson of Melville House, who is known for speaking his mind.

“Everyone’s afraid of Amazon,” said Richard Curtis, a longtime agent who is also an e-book publisher. “If you’re a bookstore, Amazon has been in competition with you for some time. If you’re a publisher, one day you wake up and Amazon is competing with you too. And if you’re an agent, Amazon may be stealing your lunch because it is offering authors the opportunity to publish directly and cut you out.

“It’s an old strategy: divide and conquer,” Mr. Curtis said.

Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Sean Noonan on October 19, 2011 at 10:13am

Wow. Its a changing world and those who can adapt will survive...

We still like the traditional way in Europe but for how long. I am going for a mixture of styles for my tales. I feel the traditional publishers, if they will take you on, can do an emmense amount over here. The world is accessible through amazon and print on demand, otherwise, though the lead in time can be off putting for potential readers. I have my first two books available through the book EXRESSO system, but no sales so far. Does anyone have any experience with this system?

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Permalink Reply by Jock Brocas on October 19, 2011 at 10:15am

I will be interested to see the response from publishers and agents. The tell tale signs are there, but i do wonder at times if Amazon will give way to form over function.

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Permalink Reply by Jock Brocas on October 19, 2011 at 10:33am

is this an Amazon system sean?

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Permalink Reply by Sean Noonan on October 19, 2011 at 11:15am

No Jock, its nothing to do with amazon, there are machines all over the world to print up books on the spot. Mostly for classics and scolarly books. Here is a link to their website http://ondemandbooks.com/ There is one in Angus and Blackwells in Edinburgh, I think. Hundreds of machines around the world, but I don't know if many novels are printed via those systems...