Kobo ebooks coming to Wal-Mart

Does this mean independent authors will be able to sell their ebooks via Walmart's website? Is this a threat to Amazon's overwhelming dominance?

https://www.engadget.com/2018/01/26/walmart-kobo-rakuten-ebooks-audiobooks/

Later this year, you'll be able to buy ebooks and audiobooks straight from Walmart's website. The big box retailer has teamed up with Japanese e-commerce titan Rakuten to launch a business that can take on Amazon's Kindle offerings. Walmart will give its customers in the US an easy way to access to Kobo's library -- Kobo is Rakuten's digital book division -- and its six million titles from tens of thousands of publishers. The company will also start selling Kobo eReaders, which will set you back at least $120, online and in stores sometime this year.

ASeiple said:

We'll see how this goes.

More competition for the 'zon is a good thing for us. They've played me square so far, but it's good to have options.

On the other hand, when I think of Wal-Mart, I don't think of books, and I'm pretty sure a lot of people are in the same boat. Wal-Mart will have to change that if they want this to work.

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Don't underestimate them. In this day and age of stagnant wages and rapidly escalating costs of living, many are shopping at places like Wal-Mart who wouldn't have before. This is the reason Wal-Mart is basically the only major brick-and-mortar retailer in North America that's still seeing growth in the face of the Amazon juggernaut. Of course, I'd imagine, like all retailers, your mileage will vary. I'd like to see a royalty scheme, assuming it's not identical to what Kobo already pays.