With an increasing number of authors and publishers dissatisfied with Amazon’s profit oriented strategy,  Zola bookshas been receiving a lot of attention since its public début at this year’s Book Expo America. Currently in its beta version, the new retailer will officially premiere this autumn an advertising campaign which is said to be focused on its many merits against competitor Amazon.

Joe Regal, the entrepreneur behind the idea, says his main goal is to provide a cleaner and more pleasant experience for shoppers. The site will feature better suggestions for they might be interested in and will only include professional reviews. A social community which will enable writers and publishers to promote their titles directly to the public will also be introduced as a fundamental marketing tool for its users.

Regal hopes that the independent booksellers will benefit most from Zola books, since the page will offer equal possibilities for promotion and interaction with potential buyers. Authors will be able to keep an exact track of sales through an advanced personal dashboard, while the publishers’ version will enable tracking all sales and acquired followers.

Even though the site will make its profit by taking a cut of each sale, Zola Books is promising better deals for booksellers and fair prices. Regal believes that in time, the page will become a social and business hub for book lovers and industry professionals.
 
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Credit: Publishers' Weekly