Washington Post, Amazon.com link up for book sale experiment

The Washington Post and Amazon.com are joining forces for an e-commerce experiment. When books are mentioned in Post articles and reviews, the newspaper links to an online store powered by Amazon, where readers can buy the books in question. The Post then receives a percentage of any sales.

It's certainly an interesting way for a newspaper to squeeze more revenue from online content, though it does raise issues about the wall between the newspaper's editorial and business units. The Post is stressing that journalists have nothing to do with placing of the links.

Here's how the newspaper describes the arrangement:

The Washington Post Store is intended as a reader service and a convenient way to purchase books. Our business receives a percentage of the sales proceeds from any purchases you make by using this feature. Links to the Store appear on web pages where Post content relates to books. The Post’s newsroom is not involved in placing any links, which will appear irrespective of what the actual review or other content says.

GalleyCat reports the Washington Post is calling this a 30-day experiment. The online store is being run through the Amazon Associates affliate program.

Interestingly, the New York Times reportedly flirted at the same type of Amazon partnership back in the '90s, but ended up dropping the idea. With many newspapers faced with continuing circulation and advertising declines, perhaps an Amazon ecommerce linkup is looking more attractive.

Many newspapers, the Post and Times included, have digital subscriptions for Amazon's Kindle reader.

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About Eric Engleman

ERIC ENGLEMAN is senior technology staff writer for TechFlash and the Puget Sound Business Journal, covering online retail giant Amazon.com. Engleman tracks Amazon's increasingly complex business, spanning ecommerce, Kindle, cloud computing, and more. He's been covering technology and other industries for the Business Journal since 2003.

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