Google to Continue Affiliate Relationships With Booksellers

Despite last week’s news to the contrary, Google will be continuing its relationship with indie booksellers that sell Google eBooks™ through its affiliate program. Several ABA member bookstores were among those who had received a notification from Google that they were being removed from the program effective March 15. A few weeks prior to last week’s announcement, Google had stopped accepting affiliate applications while it reassessed the program.

Removal of indie bookstores from the program was unintentional, according to a Google spokesperson, and the company is working with the American Booksellers Association to reinstate member stores. ABA is advising bookstores that received termination notices to contact their ABA Member Relationship Manager (Nathan Halter [1] in the GLIBA, MIBA, MPIBA, PNBA, and SIBA regions; Kaitlin Pitcher [2] in the NAIBA, NCIBA, NEIBA, and SCIBA regions).

The Google eBooks Affiliate Program [3] page now advises that participation “is available to select book industry partners.” Those interested in learning more are directed to contact ebooks-affiliates@google.com [4].

The affiliate program enables ABA members without IndieCommerce websites to sell Google eBooks and earn a commission on sales. Links to the Google affiliate program can be integrated into a store’s existing website.

Bookstores selling Google eBooks via IndieCommerce websites were not affected by the change in the affiliate program.