Amazon has been busy, busy lately. While other large booksellers like Borders and Barnes & Noble are struggling, Amazon is on buying spree.
Amazon is buying AbeBooks, which specializes in used and hard-to-find books. Amazon is planning on keeping AbeBooks as a stand-alone unit. Prior purchases include Fabric.com and Audible.
I hope they leave AbeBooks alone. I think competition in the marketplace is a good thing and think AbeBooks is a great resource for out-of-print books.
The ecommerce giant also bought social networking site, Shelfari. I’m not too familiar with this site but I think they’re behind the facebook application that lets you share a visible bookshelf. (For what its worth my favorite book social media/community site is Good Reads, www.goodreads.com)
The pressures on Barnes & Noble and Borders, which is just getting its Web site off the ground and for Amazon to successfully juggle all its various offerings/applications.
Amazon acquires book community Shelfari - http://blogs.zdnet.com/BTL/?p=9794
Amazon.com to Buy Social Network for Book Lovers - http://www.nytimes.com/idg/IDG_852573C400693880002574B10059EF02.html?ref=technology
Amazon Buys Social Network For Book Lovers - http://www.informationweek.com/news/internet/retail/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=210200911
Amazon plans to have AbeBooks continue as a standalone - http://www.informationweek.com/news/internet/retail/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=209901708
