Amazon Tries End Run Around Publishers

TechFlash reports: Is Amazon.com trying to do an end run around publishers for Kindle book rights? The Bookseller reports the online retail giant has been pursuing U.K. literary agents and authors, urging them to sell electronic-book rights directly to Amazon. That follows a report from Crain's New York in November that Amazon flew a dozen top New York literary agents to its Seattle headquarters for meetings.

Amazon's aggressive courting of agents and authors comes as Apple works closely with major publishers ahead of the launch of its iPad tablet computer.

The Bookseller reports: "U.K. literary agents and authors have been approached directly to sell e-book rights to Amazon as it builds its Kindle e-book arsenal ahead of the U.K. launch of the iPad. U.S. e-book publishers including Rosetta Books are also approaching U.K. agents and authors to buy backlist e-book rights, with Rosetta favoring an exclusive Amazon deal as part of the package."

Apple's deal with publishers—letting them set higher retail prices on new-release e-books—is shaking things up for Amazon. The online retail giant, which long insisted on a standard $9.99 price for new-release e-books, has signaled it may have to raise prices on some Kindle books per publisher demands.

But if Amazon succeeds in doing more direct deals with agents and authors, it may be able to keep better control of its pricing model.