Bookshop, an online retailer aimed at supporting independent bookstores, is launching its own e-book platform five years after its inception. This new initiative challenges Amazon's Kindle by allowing users to purchase e-books and read them via an app or web browser. The launch upholds Bookshop's profit-sharing model, enabling bookstores to benefit directly from sales. Founder Andy Hunter emphasizes the company's dedication to helping local bookstores thrive in a digital landscape and expresses concerns over Amazon's tight grip on e-book sales, hinting at potential antitrust issues.
This launch represents our commitment to bookstores and their communities," Andy Hunter, Bookshop's founder and CEO, said in a press release. "We're focused on keeping bookstores afloat and helping them flourish in the digital age.
When you buy e-books through Bookshop, you won't be able to read them on e-reader devices or other apps like Amazon's Kindle (with a few exceptions).
The profit-sharing with independent bookstores is the same deal the company has for print books: If you select a specific independent bookstore as the recipient before you buy, they will get the full profit from that sale.
There's a possible antitrust case to be brought against Amazon if they don't allow Bookshop's independent bookstore-supporting e-books on their app and devices.
Collection
[
|
...
]