Amazon.com buys audiobook publisher

SEATTLE, May 23 (UPI) -- Amazon.com Inc. said Wednesday it bought Brilliance Audio Inc., the largest independent U.S. audiobooks publisher, for an undisclosed amount.

The purchase lets Amazon, in conjunction with authors and book publishers, "expand the number of titles produced in increasingly popular audio formats," Amazon books Vice President Greg Greeley said.

Audiobook production has traditionally been limited to best-selling titles, largely because of the economics associated with recording, producing and bringing audiobooks to market.

But audiobooks have been growing in popularity, due to the Internet and portable music players. People can now download audiobooks.

Amazon has also invested in downloadable movies.

The Brilliance Audio purchase comes a week after Amazon said it would launch a music-download store that sells only songs without anti-copying protection, so customers could play the music on a wide variety of devices.

Brilliance Audio will continue to operate independently under the leadership of Michael Snodgrass, Amazon said. Its operations will remain in Grand Haven, Mich.