Larry Kirshbaum, the head of Amazon Publishing, will step down early next year when his contract is up so he can return to agenting. The program had difficulty gearing up to meet Amazon’s expectations and failed to attract any major bestsellers.

The future of the program is uncertain. Distribution into bookstores has been an issue all along despite their contract with Houghton Mifflin Harcourt for distribution through their channels.

Amazon still remains big in self-publishing but for authors interested in a physical bookstore presence, they might be better served elsewhere.