Amazon's publishing program allows authors to work directly with Amazon to get their writing published, with no need to go through a publishing house to get a traditional book deal. The program positions Amazon as agent, editor, and publisher.

Amazon will publish 122 books this fall in an array of genres, in both physical and e-book form, according to the New York Times, putting Amazon in direct competition with the world of publishing.

Amazon is not the only player&mdashBarnes & Noble publishes its own books too. But the Amazon Kindle proved to be a game changer for book sellers, so perhaps New York publishing houses will experience a similar shift.

The New York Times reports that publishers believe Amazon is aggressively going after some of their top authors. And that Amazon's move into publishing also puts critics and agents at jeopardy. In an interview with the Times, one of Amazon's top publishers, Russell Grandinetti, said,“The only really necessary people in the publishing process now are the writer and reader. Everyone who stands between those two has both risk and opportunity.”

Amazon Signs Up Authors, Writing Publishers Out of Deal [NYT]