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Amazon Publishing (simply APub) is
Amazon Amazon most often refers to: * Amazons, a tribe of female warriors in Greek mythology * Amazon rainforest, a rainforest covering most of the Amazon basin * Amazon River, in South America * Amazon (company), an American multinational technology c ...
's book publishing unit launched in 2009. It is composed of 15
imprint Imprint or imprinting may refer to: Entertainment * ''Imprint'' (TV series), Canadian television series * "Imprint" (''Masters of Horror''), episode of TV show ''Masters of Horror'' * ''Imprint'' (film), a 2007 independent drama/thriller film ...
s including AmazonEncore, AmazonCrossing, Montlake Romance, Thomas & Mercer, 47North, and TOPPLE Books. Amazon publishes
e-books An ebook (short for electronic book), also known as an e-book or eBook, is a book publication made available in digital form, consisting of text, images, or both, readable on the flat-panel display of computers or other electronic devices. Alt ...
via its
Kindle Direct Publishing Kindle Direct Publishing is Amazon.com's e-book publishing platform launched in November 2007, concurrently with the first Amazon Kindle device. Originally called Digital Text Platform, the platform allows authors and publishers to publish their b ...
subsidiary.


History

In May 2009, Amazon launched AmazonEncore, the inaugural flagship general imprint. It publishes titles that have gone out-of-print or self-published books with sales potential. The first book published under this imprint was
Cayla Kluver Cayla Kluver is an American author known for her young adult trilogy series ''Legacy'', which she began writing while she was fourteen. Kluver originally self-published the series before it was picked up by AmazonEncore and later, Harlequin Teen. ...
's ''Legacy'' in August 2009. Other early books published by AmazonEncore include ''Mercury Falls'' by Robert Kroese, ''Shaken'' by J.A. Konrath, ''The Grove'' by John Rector and ''
A Scattered Life ''A Scattered Life'' is a 2010 novel written by American author Karen McQuestion and published by AmazonEncore a division of Amazon Publishing. Originally released solely as an e-book for Amazon's Kindle, the novel is notable for being the first ...
'' by
Karen McQuestion Karen McQuestion is an American fiction writer who has written books for adults, children and teens. Most of her books include elements of humor or fantasy. Her books have sold over a million copies and translation rights to her books have sold f ...
. AmazonCrossing was announced in May 2010, for translated works into English. The first translated books were the French-language novel ''
The King of Kahel ''The King of Kahel'' (French: ''Le Roi de Kahel'') is a 2008 French-language novel by Guinean author Tierno Monénembo. It won the 2008 prix Renaudot. It was translated in 2010 to English by Nicholas Elliott and published by AmazonCrossing, Ama ...
'' and the German-language novel ''
The Hangman's Daughter ''The Hangman's Daughter'' (original title in german: Die Henkerstochter) is a novel by Oliver Pötzsch. First published in Germany by Ullstein Verlag in 2008, it was translated into English and issued digitally under the AmazonCrossing impri ...
'' which were released in November and December 2010, respectively. In May 2011, Amazon launched two genre-focused imprints, Montlake Romance, and Thomas & Mercer. Montlake Romance is an imprint for the romance genre; "Romance is one of our biggest and fastest growing categories, particularly among Kindle customers," said Jeff Belle, vice president of Amazon Publishing. Thomas & Mercer is for mystery titles. Powered by Amazon is a self-publishing platform that allows the publication of a series of books under any imprint name. For example, in May 2011,
Seth Godin Seth W. Godin is an American author and former dot com business executive. Background After leaving Spinnaker in 1986, he used $20,000 in savings to found Seth Godin Productions, primarily a book packaging business, out of a studio apartment in ...
launched The Domino Project, an imprint created to publish a series of manifestos. It was the inaugural Powered by Amazon imprint project.How many imprints does Amazon run?
Jenn Webb, O'Reilly, May 18, 2011.
Godin decided to end the imprint in November 2011, the 12 previously published titles would still be sold at Amazon, but no new books would be published. Also in May, it was announced Amazon had hired Larry Kirshbaum, former CEO of Time Warner Book Group, to head a new general-interest imprint. In October, Amazon launched a science-fiction/fantasy/horror imprint called 47 North. In December, Amazon Publishing acquired over 450 titles of
Marshall Cavendish Marshall Cavendish is a subsidiary company of Times Publishing Group, the printing and publishing subsidiary of Singapore-based conglomerate Fraser and Neave (which in turn currently owned by ThaiBev, the beverage company in Thailand), and at pre ...
's US Children's trade books business, Marshall Cavendish Children's Books (MCCB). In January 2012, it was revealed that Amazon Publishing's New York publishing arm, called "Amazon Publishing's East Coast Group" (run by Larry Kirshbaum), made a deal with
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Houghton Mifflin Harcourt (; HMH) is an American publisher of textbooks, instructional technology materials, assessments, reference works, and fiction and non-fiction for both young readers and adults. The company is based in the Financial Dist ...
to sell books under a pseudonym imprint called ''New Harvest''. New Harvest only included books from Amazon Publishing, and the books had a New Harvest imprint on the spine. This allowed Amazon to sell books at retailers like
Barnes & Noble Barnes & Noble Booksellers is an American bookseller. It is a Fortune 1000 company and the bookseller with the largest number of retail outlets in the United States. As of July 7, 2020, the company operates 614 retail stores across all 50 U. ...
, which otherwise had disallowed Amazon imprints in its stores."HMH in Deal with Amazon for Adult Titles"
Jim Milliot and Judith Rosen, ''Publishers Weekly'', Jan 24, 2012.
Barnes & Noble however later announced it would not stock any Amazon imprints, including New Harvest, a move mirrored by other book stores which have also banned Amazon imprints from their stores. One of the inaugural titles published by New Harvest was '' Jeff, One Lonely Guy'', by
Jeff Ragsdale Jeffrey Charles "Jeff" Ragsdale () is an American author, documentary filmmaker, actor and stand-up comedian. In 2011 he posted a flyer in New York City as a "social experiment", stating his phone number and asking people to call him, describing ...
, released on March 20, 2012. In June 2012, Amazon purchased
Avalon Books Avalon Books (originally Bouregy & Curl) was a small New York-based book publishing imprint active from 1950 through 2012, established by Thomas Bouregy. Avalon was an important science fiction imprint in the 1950s and 60s; later its specialty ...
, a small 62-year-old publisher that specializes in romance and mysteries with a back-list of around 3,000 titles. The books will be published under Amazon's imprints based in Seattle. In November, it was announced that Laurence Kirshbaum's position would expand to include "editorial leadership for the Seattle and New York adult imprints, as well as Amazon Children's Publishing." In addition it was announced that Amazon would be opening a new European publishing division, which will focus on "expanding the English-language audience through its English-language bookstores in the U.K., Germany, France, Italy, and Spain." Vicky Griffith, formerly publisher of the Seattle imprints, will be the new EU publisher. In December 2012,
Brilliance Audio Amazon.com, Inc. ( ) is an American multinational technology company focusing on e-commerce, cloud computing, online advertising, digital streaming, and artificial intelligence. It has been referred to as "one of the most influential economi ...
, a division of Amazon, announced the creation of a publishing imprint called ''Grand Harbor Press'' which will focus on original self-help and inspirational hardcover, paperback and e-books. In January 2013, Amazon announced two children's and young adult imprints. The first imprint is called ''Two Lions'', featuring picture books, chapter books, and middle-grade fiction. The second imprint is called ''Skyscape'', publishing fiction for young adults. In March, Amazon announced a New York-based literary fiction imprint that will publish novels, short stories and memoir. Called ''Little A'', it was initially overseen by senior editor
Ed Park Ed Park (born 1970 in Buffalo, New York) is an American journalist and novelist. He was the executive editor of Penguin Press. Career Park was a founding editor of the magazine '' The Believer'' in 2003, and has been an editor at the Poetry Found ...
. Amazing Publishing launched its comic book and graphic novel imprint, Jet City Comics, on July 9. Jet City Comics will be adapting existing books into comics for Kindle e-reader and print. In October 2013, Amazon Publishing announced a new weekly digital literary magazine called ''Day One''. The magazine focused on short fiction and poetry, including works from new authors and foreign authors in English translation. Each issue looked at one fiction writer and one poet each week, including a short story and poem with each issue. The issues were accessed through Kindle devices. Issues contained an introductory essay about a writer, author interviews, illustrations and playlists. The phrase "Day One" has often been used by Bezos in annual reports to shareholders as a way to experiment and fight complacency: "This is still Day 1." In March, 2014, Amazon Publishing opened a German-language department based in Munich under the direction of publisher Sarah Tomashek. According to Amazon, the "European Amazon Publishing team will acquire German-language fiction for publication in Kindle and print editions available on Amazon websites." In November, 2017, Amazon Publishing announced a new imprint Amazon Original Stories for works of fiction and non-fiction that can be read in a single sitting ranging from 5,000 to 20,000 words. In February 2018, Amazon Publishing announced a new imprint TOPPLE Books focused on revolutionary feminist voices with
Jill Soloway Joey Soloway (previously Jill Soloway; born September 26, 1965) is an American television creator, showrunner, director and writer. Soloway is known for creating, writing, executive producing and directing the Amazon original series ''Transparent' ...
as the Editor-at-Large.


Weathervane

During the 1999 Christmas season, Amazon leased the rights to a defunct imprint called Weathervane. This was Amazon's first attempt at publishing. The titles included Christmas recipe books and others without much market appeal, they were the "creatures from the black lagoon of the remainder table" according to a former employee James Marcus. The imprint soon disappeared, and according to "representatives at
mazon Mazon may refer to: Places in the United States * Mazon, Illinois, a village * Mazon Creek fossils * Mazon River * Mazon station, Mazon, Illinois * Mazon Township, Grundy County, Illinois Organizations * MAZON: A Jewish Response to Hunger, a no ...
today claim never to have heard of eathervane"


Publishers

Larry Kirshbaum was the first publisher when Amazon Publishing was founded in 2009. He was based in New York City. In January 2014, Laurence Kirshbaum left the company. According to ''
Publishers Weekly ''Publishers Weekly'' (''PW'') is an American weekly trade news magazine targeted at publishers, librarians, booksellers, and literary agents. Published continuously since 1872, it has carried the tagline, "The International News Magazine of B ...
'', "Under his direction, Amazon Publishing has had a difficult time gaining traction in the marketplace and failed to deliver any major bestsellers. In addition to the lackluster performance of the group, Kirshbaum drew unwanted attention in the summer of 2013 when a lawsuit was filed against him for sexual assault." Kirshbaum was replaced by Daphne Durham who has spent her entire career at Amazon and is based in Seattle. Durham left the company a year later to "seek time off". Mikyla Bruder became the publisher on January 16, 2015, and was responsible for most of the imprints; she is based in Seattle. In addition David Blum was named publisher and editor in chief of the Little A and Two Lions imprints; he is based in New York City.


Kindle Worlds

''See main article
Kindle Worlds Kindle Worlds was a publisher service of the online retailer Amazon, devoted to providing a commercial venue for fan fiction creations of specific licensed media properties. It was established on May 22, 2013, as part of Amazon Publishing. In Augu ...
'' Kindle Worlds was established on May 22, 2013, as part of Amazon Publishing devoted to providing a commercial venue for
fan fiction Fan fiction or fanfiction (also abbreviated to fan fic, fanfic, fic or FF) is fictional writing written in an amateur capacity by fans, unauthorized by, but based on an existing work of fiction. The author uses copyrighted characters, settin ...
creations of specific licensed media properties. Amazon shut down the Kindle Worlds In August 2018.


Criticism

In a 2014 article in ''
The New Yorker ''The New Yorker'' is an American weekly magazine featuring journalism, commentary, criticism, essays, fiction, satire, cartoons, and poetry. Founded as a weekly in 1925, the magazine is published 47 times annually, with five of these issues ...
'',
George Packer George Packer (born August 13, 1960) is a US journalist, novelist, and playwright. He is best known for his writings for ''The New Yorker'' and ''The Atlantic'' about U.S. foreign policy and for his book '' The Assassins' Gate: America in Iraq'' ...
writes that nearly all of Amazon Publishing's books have under-performed. For example, it purchased two high-profile books at auction including
Timothy Ferriss Timothy Ferriss (born July 20, 1977) is an American entrepreneur, investor, author, podcaster, and lifestyle guru. He became well-known through his ''4-Hour'' self-help book series—including ''The 4-Hour Work Week'', ''The 4-Hour Body'', and '' ...
' '' The 4-Hour Chef'' for 1 million dollars, which did worse than his previous titles; and ''My Mother Was Nuts'', a memoir by
Penny Marshall Carole Penny MarshallBorn Carole Penny Marshall in 1943, as per ''My Mother Was Nuts, a Memoir'', p. 10; . Copyright 2012 (October 15, 1943 – December 17, 2018) was an American actress, director and producer. She is known for her role as ...
, for eight-hundred thousand dollars, which only sold seventeen thousand copies. ''Actors Anonymous'', a novel by
James Franco James Edward Franco (born April 19, 1978) is an American actor and filmmaker. For his role in '' 127 Hours'' (2010), he was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actor. Franco is known for his roles in films, such as Sam Raimi's ''Spider-Ma ...
, has sold fewer than five thousand copies. Packer says "In the past year 012-2013 Amazon Publishing has barely been a presence at auctions, and several editors have departed; last month anuary 2014 Kirshbaum left the company, having failed at the task Amazon gave him." Reasons given for the poor performance include: bookstores which refuse to carry Amazon titles since Amazon is a direct competitor; incompetence as a publisher (as one New York publisher said about Amazon, "There are certain things it takes to be a publisher. You have to have luck, but you also have to have judgment, discernment."); and Amazon's culture of machines, algorithms and mass products which don't fit well with the publishing world's emphasis on human networking and reputation.


List of imprints


References


External links

*
"The Truth About Amazon Publishing"
Laura Hazard Owen, PaidContent.org, November 2, 2011.
"Uncovering Amazon Publishing"
David Streitfeld, ''New York Times'', November 4, 2011. {{DEFAULTSORT:Amazon Publishing Amazon (company) Book publishing companies based in Seattle 2009 establishments in Washington (state) American companies established in 2009 Publishing companies established in 2009