Well this is a smart move by Amazon.com. What was starting to look like a coalition of Davids formed to compete directly with the eBook retail Goliath has suddenly turned into a love-in. (I’m just being a smartass here. I really couldn’t be happier for the eBook Revolution…) Read the press release here.
We reported earlier that Indie author and small publisher platform, Smashwords had inked distribution deals with Sony eBook Store, Barnes and Noble and Shortcovers, in what looked like a monster eBook distribution group designed to compete directly with Amazon and the Kindle. Well, if you can believe this, Amazon has joined them.
It’s called a democratizing of eBook distribution, where all of the involved members will clear virtual shelf space for Smashword’s growing list of Indie titles. It’s a win-win situation for all. The flexibility and low-cost of eBook publishing should open the market up to future Stephen Kings that the old business model could not afford to take a chance on, or lacked the vision to discover.
