Amazon offers incentives for independent bookstores to sell Kindles

Amazon.com wants to help out the corner bookstore.

The Seattle Internet giant on Wedneday introduced Amazon Source, a program that enables independent booksellers to earn money from the sale of Kindle e-books -- if they sell Kindle devices and accessores in their stores.

A participating retailer can receive 10% of all revenue from Kindle e-books purchased on Kindle devices sold by the store for the first two years after a customer buys the device.

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Russ Grandinetti, vice president of Amazon Kindle, said the program meant customers no longer had to choose between e-books and their neighborhood bookstore.

“Many customers want to read both digital and print books,� he said. “For many years, bookstores have successfully sold print books on Amazon -- now Amazon Source extends this opportunity to digital.�

Retailers that are part of the program have two options: They can either opt to be part of the revenue-sharing deal or they can receive a larger discount when purchasing the devices from Amazon for resale in their stores.

The company also said that if a retailer no longer wants to sell Kindle devices, Amazon will buy back the inventory for up to six months after their first order “with no questions asked.�

Several bookstores have already been using Amazon Source in a pilot program, the company said.

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