Ever since Amazon began expanding its publishing program, Barnes & Noble has said it would only carry physical copies of Amazon titles in its stores if it also had access to the e-book editions. B&N did not tweak its policy last week when Amazon announced a licensing deal with Houghton Mifflin Harcourt through which HMH will publish and distribute Amazon Publishing titles from the company's New York division under the New Harvest imprint. Tuesday afternoon, however, B&N issued a statement saying it had decided not to carry Amazon books. B&N said its decision "is based on Amazon’s continued push for exclusivity with publishers, agents and the authors they represent."
B&N went on to stay in its statement: "These exclusives have prohibited us from offering certain eBooks to our customers. Their actions have undermined the industry as a whole and have prevented millions of customers from having access to content. It’s clear to us that Amazon has proven they would not be a good publishing partner to Barnes & Noble as they continue to pull content off the market for their own self interest. We don’t get many requests for Amazon titles, but if customers wish to buy Amazon titles from us, we will make them available only online at bn.com."
Independent booksellers had a mixed reaction last week to the New Harvest announcement. While some said they have no intention to carry New Harvest, or other Amazon, titles, others said they will sell the books if they get good terms.
