A year into doing business as a stand-alone trade publisher – putting out children’s and adult titles both in print and digital – Amazon retains its confidence in the midst of a change of command.
In January, high-profile industry insider Larry Kirschbaum exits as Amazon publisher, making way for long-time Amazon insider Daphne Durham. She must persuade authors and their agents that signing with the Web giant won’t leave them all as wet as the weather in Seattle. The Amazon imprints sales record suggests Durham has her work cut out.
“Durham has acknowledged that Amazon’s limited sales through retailers means it needs to provide authors with a great publishing experience,” says Jim Milliot of Publishers Weekly, who recently interviewed her.
“Despite the success of sales through Amazon’s own outlets, agents have told us that some authors will remain reluctant to sign with Amazon because of the belief that they could do better if their books are sold through physical stores, as well as through online retailers including Amazon,” Milliot tells CCC’s Chris Kenneally this week at the annual PubWest conference in Santa Fe, New Mexico.
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