SEATTLE--(BUSINESS WIRE)--April 4, 2005--Leading online retailer Amazon.com, Inc. (Nasdaq:AMZN) today announced it has acquired BookSurge LLC, a global leader in inventory-free book printing and fulfillment, based in Charleston, South Carolina.
BookSurge maintains a catalog of thousands of titles that can be printed on-demand and are available for sale on Amazon.com. BookSurge offers its inventory-free book fulfillment network to publishers through BookSurge Publisher Services and to authors through BookSurge Publishing. In addition, retailers, wholesalers and distributors can leverage the BookSurge Direct wholesale platform.
"Print-on-demand has changed the economics of small-quantity printing, making it possible for books with low and uncertain demand to be profitably produced," said Greg Greeley, vice president of media products for Amazon.com. "BookSurge makes it possible to print books that appeal to targeted audiences, whether it's one copy or one thousand. Our new relationship with BookSurge will provide Amazon customers an ever-expanding selection of titles that are not available through other channels. Thanks to print-on-demand, 'out of print' is out of date."
Some examples of the variety of titles available on demand through BookSurge include foreign-language books such as the Arabic-language version of the international bestseller The Da Vinci Code and Perez and Martina: A Puerto Rican Folktale, by celebrated Latina librarian Pura Belpre. In addition, BookSurge offers selections from New York Times bestselling author Robert Morgan as well as popular non-fiction works, including books produced by the Museum of Modern Art.
Robert Holt, BookSurge's chief executive officer, said, "BookSurge is dedicated to creating better opportunities for authors and publishers, and our new relationship with Amazon.com will allow us to do just that. We are delighted to become a part of the Amazon family and look forward to helping even more publishers and authors find a profitable outlet for their books."
Terms of the acquisition were not disclosed.
About BookSurge
Founded in 2000, BookSurge serves thousands of authors, publishers, retailers, distributors and wholesalers by helping to realize potential revenue on out-of-print titles by printing books and fulfilling book orders more affordably. BookSurge sells books worldwide profitably through a robust Global Publishing System (GPS) software platform and a network of affiliates with fulfillment facilities worldwide. Information regarding these services can be located at www.booksurge.com, www.booksurgepublishing.com and www.booksurgepublisherservices.com .
About Amazon.com
Amazon.com, Inc., (Nasdaq:AMZN), a Fortune 500 company based in Seattle, opened on the World Wide Web in July 1995 and today offers Earth's Biggest Selection. Amazon.com seeks to be Earth's most customer-centric company, where customers can find and discover anything they might want to buy online, and endeavors to offer its customers the lowest possible prices. Amazon.com and other sellers offer millions of unique new, refurbished and used items in categories such as beauty, health and personal care, jewelry and watches, gourmet food, sports and outdoors, apparel and accessories, books, music, DVDs, electronics and office, toys and baby, and home and garden.
Amazon.com and its affiliates operate seven Web sites: www.amazon.com, www.amazon.co.uk, www.amazon.de, www.amazon.fr, www.amazon.co.jp, www.amazon.ca, and www.joyo.com.
As used herein, "Amazon.com," "we," "our" and similar terms include Amazon.com, Inc., and its subsidiaries, unless the context indicates otherwise.
Forward-Looking Statement
This announcement contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. Actual results may differ significantly from management's expectations. These forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties that include, among others, risks related to potential future losses, significant amount of indebtedness, competition, management of growth, potential fluctuations in operating results, international expansion, fulfillment center optimization, seasonality, commercial agreements, acquisitions, and strategic transactions, foreign exchange rates, system interruption, consumer trends, inventory, limited operating history, government regulation and taxation, fraud, and new business areas. More information about factors that potentially could affect Amazon.com's financial results is included in Amazon.com's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including its Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2004, and all subsequent filings.
CONTACT: Amazon.com
Patty Smith, 206-266-7180
or
BookSurge
Lisa Ryan, 843-579-0000, ext. 134
Lisa.ryan@booksurge.com
SOURCE: Amazon.com