Thor/Forge Books, Macmillian’s science-fiction division, will soon be the first mainstream publisher to open an e-book store. It will also become the first major house to strip its e-books of anti-piracy software (DRM), allowing books to be read on any e-reading device and shared with friends. Thor’s move comes on the heels of the March release of the e-editions of the Harry Potter novels, which are also DRM-free, and available exclusively at J.K. Rowling’s Pottermore site. Additionally, Hachette Book Group and Simon & Schuster are investing in Bookish, a marketing site for the publishing industry that will include an e-book store.
We’ve written about the ways in which producers of other goods are attempting to eliminate the middle man and sell directly to consumers and now some book publishers are following suit. It appears that the publishers are more afraid of Amazon’s power (60 percent of the e-book market) than they are of piracy. Can these publishers effectively dent Amazon’s profits, or is it too little, too late?
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