Bookstore chain Barnes & Noble Inc. (BKS) will not sell in its stores books that are published by online retailer Amazon.com Inc. (AMZN), according to media reports on Tuesday.
Barnes & Noble reportedly said that Amazon.com has undermined the industry by trying to sign exclusive agreements with publishers, agents and authors. The company said its decision not to stock Amazon-published titles in its store showrooms is based on Amazon's continued push for exclusivity with publishers, agents and authors they represent.
Barnes & Noble reportedly noted that these exclusives have prohibited it from offering ebook versions of Amazon titles to its customers and has undermined the industry as a whole. However, Barnes & Noble will continue to sell Amazon-published titles on its website.
The move by Barnes & Noble could intensify the rivalry between the two companies and also undermine Amazon's efforts to sign authors who expect their books to be sold in Barnes & Noble's 703 stores across the country.
Amazon has a publishing unit in New York that is led by longtime publishing executive Laurence Kirshbaum. His signings include a book by self-help author Timothy Ferriss, among others. In December, Amazon said it has agreed to purchase more than 450 U.S. children's titles published by Marshall Cavendish.
Barnes & Noble's announcement not to sell Amazon-published titles comes just a week after Amazon struck a deal with Houghton Mifflin Harcourt to offer print versions of its books.
Barnes & Noble as well as Amazon.com are already locked in an intense battle for the e-book market where Amazon's Kindle e-reader competes with Barnes & Noble's Nook.
BKS closed Tuesday's trading at $12.07, up $0.19 or 1.60 percent on a volume of 1.02 million shares. AMZN closed trading at $194.44, up $2.29 or 1.19 percent on a volume of 12.77 million shares.
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