Andy Hunter is the CEO of Bookshop.org, a website he launched in 2020 that lets local bookshops sell all over the country. He always meant it to compete directly with Amazon, and the timing of that launch right into the teeth of the pandemic meant it was able to start strong and grow quickly.
Now Bookshop is selling ebooks, which is another market hugely dominated by Amazon. For Andy and Bookshop to get what they want, they’re probably going to have to gear up for a big fight. It’s kind of the app store question all over again, just like the big cases Epic had against Apple and Google, and it's all prime Decoder territory.
Links:
Bookshop is launching an ebook store to take on Amazon | The Verge
As greenwashing soars, some question B Corp certification | BBC
‘The Goliath is Amazon’: After 100 years, B&N wants to go back to its roots | Decoder
How Bookshop survives and thrives in Amazon’s world | Wired
Apple to pay $450M after Supreme Court denies price-fixing appeal [2016] | The Verge
Epic Games vs Apple | The Verge
Transcript: https://www.theverge.com/e/604809
Credits:
Decoder is a production of The Verge and part of the Vox Media Podcast Network.
Our producers are Kate Cox and Nick Statt. This episode was edited by Xander Adams.
The Decoder music is by Breakmaster Cylinder.
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Bookshop CEO Andy Hunter's crusade to save books from Amazon | Decoder with Nilay Patel podcast - Listen or read transcript on Metacast
