Bookplanet: Amazon sneaking into publishing

'The specter of a bookseller signing exclusive deals to publish bestselling authors is either thrilling or worrisome, depending on where you sit. And now it may be a reality. The country's biggest online bookseller appears to be getting into publishing, albeit in a magazine-y, micro-payment sort of way. Sources say that over the last few months Amazon has quietly been making the rounds to agents, in search of authors to write short pieces Amazon could post for sale. According to one version of the plan, Amazon would charge $.49 per electronic download for short stories, journalism, essays and other work; the material would be exclusive to Amazon and would not appear in a book or any other form. Material would be in the 2,000-10,000 word range and could include such updates as alternative endings to novels. An audio component could also be in the works; the company is requesting audio rights.' More here.