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Saturday, May 20, 2006
Amazon expands print options
Amazon.com Inc., the world's biggest online retailer, has started a program with publishers that allows out-of-print titles and lower-volume books to be printed and shipped on demand when consumers place orders.
Amazon.com's BookSurge unit introduced the program that will enable books to be published as they are ordered, the Seattle-based retailer said Friday in a statement.
Amazon is helping publishers cut costs by eliminating the need for inventory. The Internet retailer acquired BookSurge in April 2005 to enter the print-on-demand book business. BookSurge has more than 10,000 titles, many of them out of print. Amazon is investing in companies to boost profit, which has fallen for five straight quarters.
"Customers are coming to Amazon.com detail pages and find they can't buy" an out-of-print book, said Greg Greeley, vice president of worldwide media at Amazon. "We think this is a great proposition for publishers to address that," he said. "It unlocks this great content that is out there that customers haven't been able to buy."
BookSurge's clients include Penguin USA and the Museum of Modern Art in New York.
Amazon Chief Executive Jeff Bezos has emphasized innovation, customer service and a broad selection to build the online retailer's business. The company bought CustomFlix Labs Inc. in July to allow customers to purchase DVDs that can be copied and shipped on demand. In April 2005, Amazon acquired Mobipocket.com, a seller of electronic books and the software for reading them on hand-held computers and wireless phones.
Shares of Amazon rose $1.33, or 4 percent, to $33.94 in Nasdaq trading Friday. They have fallen 28 percent this year.
Amazon is set to hold its annual shareholder meeting Tuesday in Seattle.
Last month, the company reported first-quarter earnings of $51 million, meeting analysts' estimates of 12 cents a share.
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