The traditional publishers controlled the distribution completely and that just got worse with the advent of the large chains and the reduction in numbers of independent bookstores. (deanwesleysmith.com)
There are around 6,000 bookstores in Germany: large chains like Thalia, Weltbild, and Hugendubel (also members of the Tolino Alliance), but also a good number of independent bookstores. (indiesgogerman.com)
GoodEReader reported last week that Google had revoked the affiliate status of a large number of independent bookstores, apparently without motive or explanation other than to say they were focusing on the large volume sellers. (goodereader.com)