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Publishers grasp Amazon's Vine

09.09.08 | Graeme Neill

Amazon.co.uk has signed a deal with Picador and Walker Books so that every proof they publish will be available to its Vine team of reviewers.

Vine has been running since last August. The website sends a monthly email to its “most-valued” reviewers offering them a range of products to review. These reviews can sometimes appear on the site months ahead of publication.

Previously, publishers submitted titles on an ad-hoc basis but now every time Picador or Walker publish a proof, copies will be sent to Amazon for use in the Vine scheme. “It’s quite a good fit in terms of Picador as an imprint because it is focused on finding and pushing new talent,” said Kes Nielsen, head of book buying at the retailer. “The quality of its fiction and non-fiction suits our reviewers.”

Nielsen said the scheme could help with the long term marketing of titles. “The exciting thing about Vine is that if something piques the interest of our reviewers, it gives us and Picador and Walker Books an early indicator of something that could take off,” he said. Nielsen added that he wanted as many publishers as possible to submit all their proofs to the Vine scheme.

The website will also upload a dedicated Picador store from the end of this month. Similar to its Authors in the Spotlight campaign it is running with HarperCollins, the store will have exclusive content from Picador authors.

• amazon
• Graeme Neill
• Picador
• Walker Books