Barnes & Noble Goes To War With Amazon
Barnes & Noble is waging a desperate battle to remain relevant and viable in a world where cheaper online rivals and discount bookstores are threatening its very survival. The country's largest traditional bookseller now says it will no longer sell in its 700 consumer stores any books published by Amazon.com. The company says the Seattle-based retail behemoth has "undermined the industry" by trying to sign exclusive agreements with publishers, agents and authors.
B&N will, however, continue to sell Amazon-published titles on its website, so one has to wonder just how serious they are in taking up arms -- and whether this is purely posturing. Gizmodo.com, in fact, is calling it a "wimpy war."
In any case, the move to cutoff Amazon-published books is certain to escalate tensions between the two bookselling titans. Both companies have locked horns in an intense battle for the e-book market, pitting Amazon's Kindle e-reader against B&N's Nook.
Amazon has really gotten under B&N's skin with its expanding publishing operations, signing exclusive deals with authors such as filmmaker-actress Penny Marshall and best-selling self-help author Timothy Ferris. More recently, it started up an imprint for science fiction, fantasy and horror.
Barnes & Noble Chief Merchandising Officer Jaime Carey said Amazon's exclusive deals have "undermined the industry as a whole and have prevented millions of customers from having access to content," he said in an emailed statement. "It's clear to us that Amazon has proven they would not be a good publishing partner to Barnes & Noble as they continue to pull content off the market for their own self-interest."
Amazon has not issued any comment . Calls from Seattle Weekly were not immediately returned.
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