Amazon made the announcement today that they have acquired the publishing rights to over 3,000 Avalon Books. These titles are predominately in the categories of Ramance, Mystery, and Western.

Avalon Books was established in 1950 by Thomas Bouregy, and has since been home to writers in these categories. Holly Jacobs, Carolyn Hughey and Carolyn Brown have all found their home here. Carolyn Brown’s recent books “The Ladies’ Room” has been nominated for a 2012 RITA by the Romance Writers of America.

“I’ve been running Avalon Books–which was founded by my father–since 1995, and it is time for me to explore the next chapter of my life,” said Ellen Bouregy Mickelsen, Publisher of Avalon Books. “I chose Amazon Publishing because they care deeply about the writers, readers, and categories that have long mattered to our family business and they are uniquely positioned to assure that our titles make the leap forward into the digital future. I am pleased they have asked me to assist during a period of transition to provide continuity and support for our authors.”

“Avalon has a long tradition in publishing wonderful stories that affirm a positive way of life,” said Philip Patrick, Director, Business Development, Rights and Licensing. “We are thrilled to have these talented writers join our publishing program. None of these titles have been digitized yet and we know Kindle customers will delight in this great new offering.”

Avalon books will be published under the West Coast imprints of Amazon Publishing, including Montlake Romance and Thomas & Mercer. They will continue to be available in book stores in their current paper format while authors attempt to have e-book amendments added to their right agreements. Avalon does not hold the digital rights to soe older titles.

This new addition to Amazon and Kindle’s libraries is going to help Amazon cement its title as the frontrunner in ebook publishing. The Amazon Store sells more titles than any other ebook retailer, and they are read on Kindle over all other readers.

[Amazon]