Amazon may be setting up shop in Russia in the near future. The company intends on opening up a new office and has filed for new Kindle patents. Former ABC-Atticus publishing head Arkady Vitrouk has been hired and will leading the Russian Kindle content division.
Not only has Amazon hired Vitrouk to spearhead the entire program, but the company is actively hiring for three new positions for the Russian office. The listings are for a senior product manager for Kindle content pricing, and a principal for content acquisition for Kindle Russia, and another content acquisition manager position.
Amazon has filed for a number of technology patents in Russia, which is a huge indication that it will begin selling e-readers and tablets. Amazon has recently filed the ability to storae and deliver goods; the storage of electronic texts and media files; and book publishing. This means that not only will Amazon be selling devices and ebooks in Russia, but also launch its self-publishing program, Kindle Direct Publishing.
Russia is a very large untapped market with over 61 million online users. There are a bunch of e-reader companies, such as Wexler, Pocketbook, and Ectaco, which do well in that market, but are considered minor players.
Michael Kozlowski is the editor-in-chief at Good e-Reader and has written about audiobooks and e-readers for the past fifteen years. Newspapers and websites such as the CBC, CNET, Engadget, Huffington Post and the New York Times have picked up his articles. He Lives in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.