They’re not messing around, are they?
In a move that fortifies its ambitious publishing program, Amazon.com Inc. has hired Laurence Kirshbaum to head a new general-interest imprint.
Mr. Kirshbaum, 67 years old, will start in early July.The popular publishing veteran stepped down as CEO of the old Time Warner Book Group in 2005. That business was sold to Lagardere SCA and is now known as the Hachette Book Group.
Mr. Kirshbaum said he will publish fiction and nonfiction titles, in both print and digital formats
via Amazon Hires Publishing Veteran Kirshbaum for New Imprint – WSJ.com.
Eoin Purcell's Blog 
Surely publishers cannot act surprised? It has been obvious for some time that the Bezos endgame is to cut out publishers completely. This is just one more step in that strategy.
I agree, you’d think this COULDN’T be surprise, but …
It’s amazing, exciting and at the same time perhaps even a little scary, isn’t it?
I wonder how many publishers are seeing the brick wall approaching at warp speed? I can see signs of the industry tearing itself apart as it tries to work out quite what this means – and when it will mean it. Agents launching imprints, publishers signing e-deals across agents’ faces.
It’s certainly getting messy…
If there was (and there was and is) a malaise and an inertia in the old publishing world – this MUST send a lightening strike up their arses that everything has changed. Surely !
It’s not IF … it is WHEN .. and actually, it is NOW. If I were in old publishing I would light a fire under the whole business model and do some serious rethinking of how big publishing is going to look like in 5 or 10 years time. Even some recent plans by agents are only scratching the surface in my view.
The great thing, imho, is that there are fantastic opportunities now for people with ideas and energy to take advantage of this fast moving transition; to get a toe hold in the publishing business of tomorrow and be successful.