Most publishers use a distributor to get books into the hands of retailers. Some small publishers and self-publishing authors prefer to handle sales fulfillment themselves, for a variety of reasons. Handling the shipping provides access to buyer information, giving publishers who sell a line of related books the ability to upsell and pitch new titles directly to those buyers. When bookstores or Amazon handle sales, the publisher doesn't know who's buying the books.
Anyone with a U.S. bank account can open an Amazon seller account to list copies of books for sale. One advantage of Marketplace is that Amazon handles payment collection. Funds are deposited to your bank account in about a week, and sellers receive a shipping credit to help cover shipping costs.
Sellers pay Amazon a 15 percent commission on Marketplace sales and miscellaneous fees of $1.23 and 99 cents per transaction. The 99-cent fee on each sale is waived, however, if you become an Amazon Pro-Merchant subscriber. If you sell more than 40 books per month, the subscription pays for itself. Having a Pro-Merchant subscription also provides access to bulk listing and inventory tools that can help automate your bookkeeping.