Thumbsup

I caught up with Malcolm Neil, publisher relations manager (Australasia) for Kobo, yesterday.

Interestingly, he didn’t seem overly fazed by REDgroup retail’s situation in Aus and NZ, and the questionmark over the associated Borders, Angus & Robertson and Whitcoulls brands.

In case you are new to the situation, Kobo supplies the ebook software “engine” that runs the store sites operating under the three brands.

So is that all about to fall over?

Nope. Move along, nothing to see here, says Neil.

Seriously, it seems the only part of the whole ebook-selling process in Australasia that can be attributed to REDgroup, is the computer infrastructure involved in uploading books and running the transactions.

“The relationships with the publishers are with Kobo, not REDgroup,” says Neil. “And they are as solid as they’ve ever been. The ebook retailing platform is ours too.”

Neil should know. Until late last year he was publicity director for REDgroup, so I would think he knows how the company operates.

(BTW, fortuitous career move, Mal!)

So if Borders is liquidated and disappears? What happens to Kobo Down Under?

“We are here and here to stay,” Neil says. “We partnered with REDgroup initially because everyone knows that it helps to have a brick-and-mortar chain to support you when you’re in our business. That’s no secret.

“But we’re not going anywhere if that disappears,” he says. “Obviously, though, by far our preferred outcome is for Borders to continue.”

It seems that whatever happens, Kobo is now big and confident enough to strike out on its own in Australia and New Zealand if it has to, and is continuing to sign new publishers to long-term deals, and ways to make new inroads into the business locally, even after the news of the REDgroup debacle.

So it seems the options for ebook buying in the Southern Hemisphere won’t be shrinking anytime soon, whether the Borders or Whitcoulls brands are involved or not.

Via Jason Davis’ Book Bee

NO COMMENTS

The TeleRead community values your civil and thoughtful comments. We use a cache, so expect a delay. Problems? E-mail newteleread@gmail.com.