Courtesy of Publishers Weekly…

Baen Books, an independent e-book retailer and publisher specializing in science fiction and fantasy, have made its e-book list available through Amazon’s Kindle store. While this is the first time Baen e-books, which did not use digital rights management software, have been offered through a third-party retail site, the company promises that its e-books sold through Amazon will continue to be free of DRM.

Baen Books publisher Toni Weisskopf said that while Amazon is the first retailer to offer Baen e-books, she intended to pursue other e-book retail sites as well. Founded in 1984 by the late S&S science fiction editor Jim Baen, Baen Books is a pioneering e-book retailer that sold its titles via its own Web site and aggressively advocated against DRM. “We’re very consumer oriented and we want everyone to be able to find us,” Weisskopf explained, “and DRM is like an obstacle course for the consumer.”

Asked why the switch to distributing via other retailers, Weisskopf said, “We started out trying to help establish the format, but now e-books are mainstream. When we first started negotiating with other retailers they all wanted to add DRM but not now. All our books will continue to be sold without DRM.”

Baen publishes about six to nine print titles each month in the sci-fi and fantasy categories, including original works and reprints. All of its e-book releases have print editions and Baen also distributes a small number of indie e-book publishers. The house has staff of about 10 and “a legion of freelancers.” Weisskopf said the house is “comfortably” profitable.

Read the complete article here: Baen E-books Now Available Via Amazon Kindle Store

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