Amazon is launching its own literary journal, as the company's publishing arm continues to expand into just about every major market out there. The journal, called Day One, will feature a single piece of short fiction and a single poem in every issue. Issues will be published weekly, and — naturally — they'll only be sold digitally. Amazon is initially offering a yearly subscription for $9.99, and though it'll later be raised up to $19.99, at either price Amazon will be significantly undercutting the cost of most highly regarded literary journals, which largely don't have the resources Amazon does to allow them to operate at such a low cost.

But while price is a war that Amazon can easily fight and win, quality will be its biggest battle. Because literary journals are publishing different authors every issue, they're generally regarded by the quality of work that they're able to bring in — with quality work bringing about further quality work down the road. If Amazon can begin to curate and publish quality content in its journal, it could also help to bolster the company's own literary publishing imprint, Little A, which so far has just over a dozen novels to its name. Literary journals aren't usually seen as being among the more profitable ventures out there though, but with Amazon's prominence, it may be able to bring in a broader audience than traditional print journals can manage.