Amazon revenues rise 22 percent

Amazon just did a round of press conferences and talked about their Q1 revenue. According to Digital Book World, they are up 22 percent. That's amazing. Amazon is already the biggest bookseller in the U.S., and their revenue went up 22 percent in three months? Whoa.

Here's a quote DBW offered from the conference call:

“We’re very pleased with our Kindle and digital business,” said chief financial officer Tom Szkutak on the call. “We certainly are investing — and you’re seeing that reflected.”

So expect to see more of the same, and probably in better fashion as they continue to get better at it. And better at it is exactly what they are.

Here's a snapshot of where Amazon is at in relation to the rest of the eBook world.

• Amazon's eBook revenue alone was up 70 percent throughout 2012. Their 2012 media (all media) revenue was $2.9 billion.
• Amazon says they'll continue to invest in the eBook part of their offering, which makes sense, as ebook passed print books as a source of revenue back in 2012.
• Amazon already commands about 2/3 of the eBook market, meaning that two out of every three eBooks purchased in the country are purchased from Amazon. All the rest (Apple, B & N, Kobo, etc.) make up the other 1/3 combined.

Amazon not only has the funds, but they have the focus, and, currently, the best recipe for what is already working. They keep growing, and there's no reason why that shouldn't mean continued growth.

For publishers, this is a mixed bag.

On one hand, it means that publishing an eBook most likely means optimizing and publishing that eBook to perform and look great on a Kindle. That makes it easier to design to a certain format, and for their marketing team to focus on the Amazon ecosystem.

On the other hand, it means the standardization of eBooks due to market forces, which could lead to less innovation and creativity as time goes on. If people can't make money creating interactive and art eBooks for more media-rich formats like Apple, those creative eBooks simply won't get made.

What do you think about the overwhelming dominance of Amazon in the eBook marketplace?

Image courtesy of Daniele Mell via flickr