Microsoft already has a stake in Nook Media, and now it is reportedly seeking to buy out the entire company. In Nook, Microsoft sees a shot at competing against Amazon and Apple — in a way it might not be able to do from scratch. Read more at paidContent »
In a new book, former Kindle exec Jason Merkoski examines where e-reading platforms are now and how they could change in the future. If you’re looking for secrets about Jeff Bezos, though, you’re in the wrong place. Read more at paidContent »
Barnes & Noble is running a weeklong promotion: Customers who buy a Nook HD+ tablet (starting at $269) will get a Nook Simple Touch e-reader ($79) for free. Read more at paidContent »
Barnes & Noble is bringing new movies and TV shows to Nook Video. It’s a good step toward creating a media ecosystem for Nook, but the company is not close to becoming a Netflix, Amazon or iTunes competitor. Read more at paidContent »
Analysts asked Barnes & Noble some hard questions in an investor call Thursday, following an earnings report that showed Nook revenues down by 26 percent over last year. Read more at paidContent »
As it had warned, Barnes & Noble released a disappointing earnings report Thursday morning. Nook sales were down 26 percent over the previous year, despite the launch of new tablets. Read more at paidContent »
Barnes & Noble’s founder and chairman, Leonard Riggio, has offered to buy the bookstore chain’s 689 retail stores and BN.com. Barnes & Noble confirmed Monday that it is considering the offer. Read more at paidContent »
Three independent bookstores have filed a class action suit against Amazon the big-six publishers, alleging that the proprietary DRM Amazon uses on ebooks creates a monopoly. Read more at paidContent »
It’s only been a couple of months since Barnes & Noble downgraded guidance for its Nook business. Now the company is doing so again. Unfortunately, Nook Media is supposed to be the profitable part of the company. Read more at paidContent »
The long-delayed Bookish, a website backed by Hachette, Penguin and Simon & Schuster and designed to promote book discovery and sell books, launched Monday night and is designed to be a one-stop shop for readers looking for their next book. Read more at paidContent »
Amazon stock is up, up and away yet again — here’s the latest news and a chart that shows the company’s gravity-defying growth. Read more »
The third quarter saw many parts of the traditional media business in flux. Other developments included the rollout of new device-based content ecosystems, red flags and red ink for traditional consumer electronics makers, and a resurgence of consumer purchases of movies. Read more at GigaOM Pro »
As North American ebook retailers Barnes & Noble and Kobo expand their presence abroad, they are seeing their businesses change. Representatives from both companies spoke about some lessons learned on Monday at the Frankfurt Book Fair. Read more at paidContent »
Barnes & Noble had claimed it wouldn’t carry Amazon Publishing titles in its “store showrooms,” but it looks as if the chain has capitulated: At least two of Amazon New York’s titles are in stock in Manhattan-area stores now. Read more at paidContent »
I spent a week testing Amazon’s new e-reader, the Kindle Paperwhite, which starts at $119. The verdict: The front-lit screen improves the reading experience all day long, not just at night, making this a big step up from the Kindle Touch. Here are my review and video. Read more »
Barnes & Noble’s new Nook HD tablets, priced starting at $199, aim to stand out from the pack with reader-centric features and enhanced reading experiences for magazines and catalogs. The company’s goal is to drive book discovery and purchasing through the tablets in new ways. Read more »
With the launch of Nook Video, Barnes & Noble will begin selling digital movies and TV episodes across devices. The company plans to release Nook Video apps, and the service will be available in the US and UK. Pricing and other details are unclear. Read more at paidContent »
At an event in the UK on Tuesday, Waterstones CEO James Daunt shared a few more details on how the bookstore’s partnership with Amazon will work, but admitted that working with “a major competitor” is not easy. Read more at paidContent »
Just a few days after the approval of the DOJ’s ebook settlement, HarperCollins has entered into new contracts with ebook retailers, and they’re already discounting its titles. What kinds of deals will you get? Read more at paidContent »
With the releases of the Kindle Paperwhite and Kobo Glo today, we saw an evolution in e-readers. The devices don’t have more tablet-like features, but they should still provide much better reading experiences than older models. Read more »
UK thriller author Stephen Leather’s admission that he created fake accounts to review his own books has led to a storm of controversy over bad author behavior and “sock puppet” reviews. Here’s what’s happened so far and how bad author behavior might be fixed. Read more at paidContent »
Though most eyes are on Amazon’s Thursday press conference, Kobo is angling for early attention with its announcement of two new e-readers and a new 7-inch Android tablet called the Arc. How do the devices stack up to the competition? Read more »
Barnes & Noble announced three more partners for its Nook UK launch this fall: Academic bookseller Blackwell’s, independent bookseller Foyles and general retail chain Argos. B&N also announced John Lewis as a retail partner earlier this week. Read more at paidContent »
Ebook buyers in 54 states and territories are set to receive $69 million in a settlement between the states and HarperCollins, Hachette and Simon & Schuster. Those who bought agency-priced ebooks between April 2010 and May 2012 are eligible for payment if the settlement goes through. Read more at paidContent »
In a filing late Wednesday in response to Apple and book publishers, the Department of Justice reiterates its claim that agency pricing and the alleged conspiracy have resulted in “unmistakable consumer harm,” but refuses to release its ebook pricing analysis. Read more at paidContent »
Microsoft invested $300 million in Barnes & Noble’s Nook business. As the following chart shows, that probably wasn’t a great idea: Production problems, slowing ebook sales and other factors are contributing to the Nook’s troubles. Read more at paidContent »
Barnes & Noble has a $300m investment from Microsoft and will launch the Nook in the UK this fall. But the country’s largest bookstore chain is struggling to compete against Amazon. Nook device sales fell during Q1 2013, though digital content sales were up. Read more at paidContent »
Barnes & Noble will sell its Nook e-readers in the UK starting this October, but at the beginning they will only be available through a website, nook.co.uk. B&N says it will announce partnerships with “leading retailers” soon. Read more at paidContent »
Market research firm IHS iSuppli shows that iPad shipments surged in Q2 2012, as Amazon’s Kindle Fire and Barnes & Noble’s Nook Tablets saw major drops. Kindle Fire’s share of the media tablet market fell to 4.2 percent, with B&N’s at 1.9 percent. Read more at paidContent »
Barnes & Noble dropped prices on its Nook Tablets and Nook Color on Sunday, bringing the price of the Nook Tablet 16 GB in line with Amazon’s Kindle Fire and Google’s 8 GB Nexus 7. The bookstore chain has failed to gain much tablet market share. Read more at paidContent »
The current Kindle Touch models are either unavailable or shipping in 8 to 9 days on Amazon, suggesting that new models are coming soon — possibly including a front-lit Kindle to compete with Barnes & Noble’s Nook with GlowLight. Read more »
Digital self-publishing site Smashwords is making it easier for self-published authors to get their ebooks into libraries. The site is allowing certain libraries to buy Smashwords titles in bulk, and is also adding custom library pricing options for its authors. Read more at paidContent »
As a verdict on the DOJ’s proposed ebook pricing settlement with three publishers approaches, Apple has requested and received permission to file another response to the settlement. Apple has also requested a hearing on the settlement, which the DOJ opposes. Read more at paidContent »
Amazon is now renting print textbooks in addition to Kindle textbooks. In doing so, the company seeks to compete with Barnes & Noble as well as with startups like Chegg and BookRenter. Read more at paidContent »
The American Booksellers Association and Barnes & Noble say the DOJ’s proposed ebook pricing settlement is so harmful to booksellers and consumers that they want to file their own brief in the case. Presiding Judge Denise L. Cote has said they may do so by August 15. Read more at paidContent »
Barnes & Noble is skipping out on Google Maps for tablets and is partnering instead with Berlin-based mobile map company skobbler. skobbler’s ForeverMap 2 app is available in the Nook store today, and Nook will open up to location-based app developers later this year. Read more at paidContent »
Self-publishing company FastPencil will begin pitching some of its authors’ books to Barnes & Noble buyers, which could give them a better chance of ending up in stores or in promotions of Nook e-readers. But it’s not a guarantee that self-published titles will end up on shelves. Read more at paidContent »
About a year after Amazon launched Kindle Cloud Reader, Barnes & Noble is finally getting into the cloud-based reading game with Nook for Web. The platform is limited to PCs and Macs for now and doesn’t work on iPad. Read more at paidContent »
In an effort to make ebook gift-giving more spontaneous and fun, Los Angeles-based startup Livrada is partnering with Target to sell gift cards for bestselling ebook titles like “50 Shades of Grey” and “Gone Girl” in the chain’s 1,771 stores nationwide. Read more at paidContent »
Amazon, Barnes & Noble and other e-reader companies are collecting data about your e-book reading habits, but they’re keeping their most interesting findings close to the vest. Read more at paidContent »
