George Packer on Amazon

       In The New Yorker George Packer takes a long look at Amazon, wondering: 'Amazon is good for customers. But is it good for books ?' in Cheap Words.
       One clarification: Packer writes:

When the Best Translated Book Award received money from Amazon, Dennis Johnson, of Melville House, which had received the prize that year, announced that his firm would no longer compete for it.

       We (I'm one of the BTBA judges) nevertheless consider all eligible Melville House titles -- and, indeed, one made last year's shortlist (The Colonel by Mahmoud Dowlatabadi). While it's helpful if publishers 'compete' (i.e. make an effort to get their eligible titles into the judges' hands), we try very hard to consider all eligible titles every year.

       Two of the books about Amazon mentioned by Packer are under review at the complete review: Brad Stone's The Everything Store and James Marcus' Amazonia.