Seems there are rumors that Amazon.com will be opening brick and mortar stores. Exactly what the inventory would be sold there is the big question; eBookNewswer wonders about a place you would enter just to see what was available, but you wouldn't take the book home with you -- you'd order it.
Interesting, isn't it? There's all those empty Border's stores ready to go, after all....
Meanwhile, John Locke has entered into a deal with Simon & Schuster where he has his indie book Wish List being sold as a mass market paperback by the publishing house - but Locke is shown as the publisher.
Which apparently means that the publishing house has made a deal for its distribution channels and marketing abilities with traditional publication deal thrown in for the mass market paperbacks. Telemachus Press will still be responsible for the actual printing of the ebooks, as they have been doing for John Locke for years now. (For more info, check out the comment from Claudia at Telemachus Press, below.)
So, we have Amazon moving into physical stores and one of the biggest indie authors making deals with a traditional publishing house - for distribution.
Looks to me that these are hints that the publishing industry is growing and changing, but that ways are being found to keep our beloved print books and the sanctuary that is the local book store alive and kicking while the boom of indie publishing is allowed to bloom.
At least I hope so.