Encore's stated mission is to help "unearth exceptional books and amazing authors for more readers to enjoy." AmazonEncore, in essence, cherry picks from among the hundreds of thousands of authors that self-publish via its CreateSpace service, looking for books that have gained traction and talent worth nurturing. It's a long-tail approach to what publishers do for a living with the assistance of book agents -- helping authors with editing, book design, marketing, PR and distribution. And for AmazonEncore, the sales channel extends beyond its website into physical stores by way of third party wholesalers.
Most publishers have historically looked down upon self-published work, and so the Encore threat seemed minor. At Book Expo America (BEA) in New York last week, AmazonEncore had a modest-sized booth with a few of its authors doing signings, and yet its presence was sending out murmurs across the exhibit floor. In speaking (off the record) with some publishers, there appeared to be a reluctant form of tolerance for AmazonEncore.
One major publisher pointed out that retailers, including Barnes & Noble, long ago rolled out imprints of their own, although these have generally been reissues of public domain classics, not current work. One niche romance publisher expressed only mild concern about Encore, boasting its particular expertise in the genre and a loyal following for its titles cultivated by a very active company website.
However, Amazon's most recent efforts show it exploring much deeper into publishers' territory. Since 2009, Amazon has rolled out three other imprints. The latest, announced earlier this month, is a mystery and thriller imprint named Thomas & Mercer (after the company HQ street location in Seattle). Thomas & Mercer is recruiting name authors such as D.M. Annechino, J.A. Konrath, Kyle Mills and John Rector.
Also released recently was news that Amazon has hired Laurence J. Kirshbaum, a literary agent and former publisher.
"Larry will be building out a publishing team in New York and will found new imprints under the Amazon Publishing umbrella, with a focus on acquiring the highest quality books in literary and commercial fiction, business and general nonfiction," wrote Amazon executive Jeff Belle in an email to literary agents, according to The New York Times.
With Amazon's resources, is anything standing in its way if it chooses to aggressively compete with publishers? Certainly, Amazon would prefer not to scrap its valued publisher relationships. But a key obstacle may be evident in Amazon's new deal to sell trade paperback rights for 10 of its titles to publisher Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. According to Publishers Weekly, Amazon has encountered friction when trying to distribute its titles to brick and mortar retailers, most of whom aren't exactly keen about working with the company that orchestrated a retail revolution that didn't exactly work in their favor.