Kobo strikes independent bookseller deal
updated 08:55 pm EDT, Wed August 29, 2012
Deal replaces Google-indie bookseller deal
Kobo has announced that it will enter an agreement with the American Booksellers Association in which Kobo will sell e-books and its line of e-readers through independent US booksellers. The Kobo deal will replace a similar deal the ABA had reached with Google, which will expire in January 2013. That deal failed to gain any real consumer interest, but Kobo, which announced the deal in a post on the company's blog today, expects that the new deal will give it a much-needed foothold in the American market, which is dominated by Amazon and, to a lesser degree, Barnes & Noble.
The deal will bring Kobo's e-reading experience to nearly 2,000 independent booksellers across the US. Kobo touts the deal as exemplary of its "Read Freely" philosophy, in which consumers should have "the freedom to read an book, anytime, anyplace, and on any device." Kobo's e-reader applications are available on the iPad and iPhone, as well as BlackBerry, Android, and Windows devices. Kobo also produces its own line of e-readers, including the Kobo Touch and Kobo Vox.
