[fjtorres]

Here we go, at last somr meaningful words from Amazon itself, via Publishers Weekly:

http://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/b...to-happen.html

Once a location was chosen, the Amazon Books team began gathering information about who shops at University Village to help develop its inventory. For example, because the area has lots of families and children, Amazon Books has an extensive children’s section.

All books carried by the store have at least a four-star rating from Amazon customers. And though Amazon uses other data in selecting titles, staff members make the buying decisions, Cast said. Amazon’s main objective in using the data is “to surface great books,” she noted—even if those books are not necessarily new titles. The result is a store that has a large share of books by authors who have won a range of writing awards, and where older books may be displayed next to a brand-new ones. Cast said the store will carry most bestsellers for a few weeks, but if a title doesn’t receive positive feedback, the store will drop it.

That sounds like "no payola".

While most bookstores display some titles face out, all titles are displayed this way at Amazon Books, a tactic Amazon is using to improve discoverablity. The store has been laid out so as to create a “discovery mecca,” Cast said, adding, “We want people to bump into books that they hadn’t been thinking about.”

While Amazon has certain goals in mind for the store, Cast acknowledged that “we have no idea what is going to happen.” She said Amazon Books is fully prepared to make changes to the store based on the feedback from the community, in typical Amazon fashion. “We are in the learn-listen-adapt mode,” she added.

Feedback from the community will affect what types of events the store will have. At present, no author signings or readings are scheduled, and Cast said that she doesn’t expect any to take place until after the holiday season. She made clear, however, that she expects Amazon Books to be very open to making the store a place where customers will feel comfortable.

Most telling:

Although it is very early days for Amazon Books, Cast said she is “very, very hopeful” that the Seattle store will only be the first of a number of Amazon bricks-and-mortar outlets.

More at the source.