Amazon acquires James Bond US book rights

James Bond has a new American publisher: Amazon.com.

The online giant has acquired rights from the late Ian Fleming's estate for North American rights to his classic spy novels in paper and e-book editions, including Dr No and From Russia With Love.

The books will be available from Amazon as of this summer. Independent stores and Barnes & Noble have usually declined to stock works published by Amazon, a top retail competitor.

Amazon has steadily expanded its publishing programme over the past few years, signing up such celebrities as Penny Marshall and Billy Ray Cyrus and setting up imprints for a wide variety of genres.

The agreement with Fleming's estate is for 10 years.